A Promise Far Off
by GeneralDragon
Summary: When you grow so close it really hurts to be torn apart, but what does this mean for a young boy growing up in the country with a young girl? Share the hardships and fun times as they find out what life is like Jack x Karen
1. Disclaimer

**A Promise Far Off**

_Introduction and Disclaimer_

**Disclaimer:**

_I don't own anything. The game Harvest Moon is owned by __Natsume__ and other companies which I'm not a part of. Anything else mentioned in this story is copyright its individual copyright holder._

**Introduction:**

Ok at first this is going to seem a little weird, but stay with me here. Since my favorite version of the Harvest Moon game is the N64 version I decided to use the characters and story line, settings, ect from that game. However since this story will deal with a larger island later on that isn't portrayed in the N64 version I ask that you think of it as the FOMT and DS HM game where the valley is connected to mineral town. Trust me this will all make sense later on in the story. Also yes there is no Harvest Goddess in this story, YES I KNOW THAT'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE, but its mine to make as the author. However note this is not meant to be an overpowering Christian story although it touches on the idea of Christianity its not treated as something special to have attention drawn to it, it's more common place or the norm of the island. Also on the island the church is much larger supporting a school and chapel where the islands children go for education as well as church. A small hospital also resides in the village as one was missing in the N64 version. No I'm not trying to warp the traditional HM setting, trust me this is going to work ;)

Please Read and Review this story as it's the only thing that will encourage me to continue it.


	2. Chapter 1: Looking Back While Walking Fo

**Chapter 1**

_Looking Back While Walking Forward_

* * *

Karen sat thinking to herself. The church was empty. As she stared at the cross at the front images flashed before her. Pain, suffering, betrayal, making the wrong decisions. Silently she traced a scar on her left arm that went from her elbow to her wrist. It wasn't really noticeable as narrow as the scar was, but she could still feel it etched in her skin, and the memory that went along with it.

"I was so lucky", she wasn't really talking to anyone, but someone had entered unnoticed by the brown/blonde haired girl.

"Thinking about it again Karen?", a peppy red headed Ann Meadow sat down next to her best friend. She put an arm around Karen's neck as Karen subconsciously moved closer to her. Karen couldn't help, but notice the engagement ring on Ann's hand. Without thinking she rubbed the two rings on her fingers. One with an elegant solitaire diamond, the other a plain gold band, something common that meant so much.

"Every time I come in here it reminds me how lucky I am."

Ann turned to look at the stained glass window, "I know what you mean Karen."

A few seconds passed before Karen started the conversation up again, "So how are you and Cliff?"

"Just getting ready for what lies ahead, I swear sometimes I think the guy will never grow up. Just the other day I found him playing cops and robbers with Mary and Stu."

Karen giggled, "At least he'll be good with kids."

Ann smiled, "That's for sure."

"Speaking of kids; how's Caitlin?"

"At home, she's being taken care of. I just wanted to come out here and think. It's only been a year since that day."

Ann's smile disappeared as she removed her arm from Karen's neck, "I remember."

Karen noticed Ann's mood starting to darken, "I'm sorry Ann"

Ann shook her head, "No Karen, don't be. Maybe it's better if we talked about it."

Now Karen's smile returned, "It'd be nice to remember it all, the good and the bad."

Ann grew excited at the chance to reminisce, and possibly gain some details that she hadn't known about, "Well then I guess we just need to figure out where to start."

Karen stood as she led Ann out of the church in the direction of mother's hill. One of her blonde bangs flowed with the wind and landed in front of her eyes, with one hand she tucked it behind her ear, "I think I know the perfect spot."

* * *

The young boy couldn't help but stand looking out from the bow of the boat. His salt blasted hair made it look like a super strong hair gel had been put in it. His mother who was sitting in the back of the boat laughed at the sight.

"Jack, be careful out there. We don't need you falling into the ocean."

Jack quickly grew concerned, "Mommy are their jelly fish?"

The mother smiled. Her son had been terrified of jelly fish ever since they had visited the aquarium a month earlier. He had seen a huge poster of a jelly fish and one of the workers at the aquarium had shared a story of his encounter with a jelly fish that left her son terrified of the creatures.

"No Jack there aren't any jelly fish around here I believe, are there Doug?"

The young captain of the boat turned and smiled, "Not around these parts mamm. If we got closer inland we might start running up on some though. None around the island however lad, it's safe to swim."

Jack smiled and quickly returned to the bow of the boat, "Land hoe!"

Doug couldn't help but snicker a little. True the boy had seen land, but it seemed like his curiosity of being on a boat in the ocean would never be satisfied.

"Indeed it is lad that is Flowerbud Village. It's a small island with just one town and a handful of people."

The six year old Jack quickly took in all the information, "Are there any people for me to play with?"

"A whole slew of them buddy. Their all full of energy just like you, I'm sure they'd love someone new to play with."

"Oh boy mommy did you hear that?"

"I did Jack, are you excited?"

"Yep, is Pappy there too?"

"Uh huh and he'll be at the dock waiting for us right now. He'll be the fist one you see."

"Mommy how much longer?"

The woman smiled. As soon as Jack had learned of the things that awaited him on the island his interest with the boat ended and he couldn't wait to get onto what was waiting for him. However she didn't have an answer to his question, but Doug did.

"Don't worry there little buddy we'll be docking in less than five minutes."

Jack returned to the front of the boat until it reached the dock. His grandfather waved at them from the dock as soon at the boat came into view. Jack got very excited and started to jump up and down waving at his grandfather.

"Jack stop you'll fall in!"

Unfortunately the boat hit a wave just before it docked. Jack was thrown off the boat and into the ocean.

"Jack!"

Jack's grandfather saw his grandson fall into the water and without a second thought dove in after him. Doug quickly maneuvered the boat around Jack.

"Dad be careful!"

Pappy dove under the water and within a few seconds resurfaced. Doug helped him into the boat with Jack in his arms.

"Stand back Amanda."

Pappy gently motioned Doug and Jack's mother back as he performed CPR on Jack. After Jack started to breathe again his grandfather gently placed him on his side as he threw up a little water.

"Dad is he going to be alright?"

Pappy looked down at his grandson and just smiled, "He'll be fine, he just needs to rest some. Let's take him to my house. We'll get you unpacked and settled in while he sleeps in the guest room."

* * *

Jack's vision was blurry but he could see his father and a doctor standing outside his mother's hospital room. Jack's father had a worried expression as he listed to what the doctor had to say. Jack was able to hear it, but he didn't understand a word of what was being said.

"Her cancer hasn't spread to the bone, but the outlook isn't the best in the world. With the surgery it's gone into remission."

"Then we're out of the worst part?", Jack noticed his father's expression looking brighter than it had been.

"I'm afraid with cancer we don't have a cure. Yes you're out of the bad part for now with the remission, but it will come back eventually. Breast cancer is very serious, however its common in women and with the monthly checks your wife has been having we we're lucky enough to catch it. Only time will tell Mr. Williams."

"Thank you doctor."

Jack's father noticed Jack listing in on his conversation with the doctor. He smiled at his son, "Come on Jack let's go visit mommy."

"Ok."

They entered the room, but everything started to get really blurry, sounds became distorted. Jack saw his mother smile at him form her hospital bed; he only saw her mouth move before everything turned black.

"Hey", at first it sounded like his mother's voice.

"Hey", now it sounded like a younger girl's voice. Jack now noticed he was asleep. His eyes felt heavy but he slowly forced them open.

"Hey you awake?", as Jack's vision focused he saw a young girl with green eyes staring at him from his bed side. He instantly shot up in surprise.

"Wow you wake up fast", the girl was giggling as she looked at Jack's surprised face.

"Who are you, where am I, where's grand pa, and mommy?"

The girl smiled at him, "If you're talking about Pappy him and the lady went to the grocery store to get some food."

Jack sat up but instantly became dizzy, "my head feels funny."

"Yea Pappy said you fell in the water and got sick. He told me to watch you."

"Can you take me to my mommy?"

"Uh huh come on."

The girl grabbed Jack's hand and gently guided him off the bed as she pulled him towards the door. Her concern was evident as she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Once they got past the door into the living room she noticed Jack begin to stumble and caught him. Wrapping his arm around her neck she walked him outside.

"Thank you."

"Sure, Pappy be mad if I let you fall. I'm supposed to make sure you don't get hurt."

They continued to walk towards the main road. Once the town came into sight Jack smiled. He was used to large buildings and cars always being around. This country setting was something he had only seen in pictures, and in movies, he instantly liked it.

"Oh by the way my names Karen; what's yours?"

"I'm Jack."

"Nice to meet you Jack; I'll show you where everything is!"

Karen then grabbed Jack's hand again and decided to drag him around the town showing him all the shops, the ranch, buildings, and then stopped at the beach.

"This is my special place", Karen walked forward towards the ocean as it blew her hair. One of her bangs blew in front of her face. Stepping up from behind her Jack used a finger to tuck it back behind her ear.

"Thanks."

"Sure you helped me too, so we're even now."

* * *

"Dad are you sure he's going to be alright? I mean that girl couldn't have been more than what, five?"

"Try six. Amanda stop worrying Karen is a very smart girl. These kids do go to school on this island you know, and Karen has been helping her father at the winery since she turned five."

Amanda sighed as she looked around at the limited food selection, "Its amazing what you people do on this island."

Pappy came up from behind and placed his hand on his daughters shoulder, "And it's amazing how the people on this island grow up and forget where they came from."

"I'm sorry dad."

"Don't be. You've grown into a fine woman. Your mother would be proud."

"I hope I'll be around long enough to see mine grown and married."

"Amanda…"

Before Pappy could finish two children ran into the store, "No tag backs your it!", a blonde haired girl ran behind one of the counters chased closely by a dark brown haired little boy.

"Hey that's not fair who am I supposed to tag?"

"That's your problem."

"Karen…"

The little girl looked up at Pappy who had a disapproving face on. Karen walked up to him sulking, "Sorry Pappy."

"That's alright Karen, but let's not run around in the store ok? I can see you watched over Jack very well thank you", Pappy smiled at the little girl and her expression instantly lifted.

"Sure no problem Pappy."

Jack was next as he ran up to his grandfather and embraced him, "Pappy I wanted to see you but when I woke up you weren't there."

"Its ok Jack I'm glad you're alright. You shouldn't be running in the store now either ok?"

"Ok, sorry."

"It's ok. Now how about you help me and your mother pick out some food you might like. Karen would you like to help? I talked to your father and he said you could stay for dinner."

"Yay I'll help."

* * *

Pappy smiled as he noticed Karen shyly take the seat next to Jack at the table. Ever since they had left the grocery store the two had been talking. Karen had taken a liking to Jack, and it seemed the feeling was mutual. The two were instant best friends.

"_Just like me and Megan"_, Pappy reminisced about his departed wife looking at the two children. However his daydream wasn't meant to be as his daughter brought him back to reality.

"Dad, are you going to say the blessing?"

"Oh sorry Amanda, of course; let's bow our heads. God we thank you for all our blessings especially for helping little Jack out earlier today when he fell in the ocean. We thank you for our food, and to help us grow and live on. Amen."

A resounding Amen came from everyone at the table and then they began to eat. Karen giggled as she watched Jack gobble down food as fast as he could put it into his mouth.

"What's so funny?"

"Just the way you're eating, you look really hungry."

"Well Karen, Jack did sleep through lunch."

Amanda smiled, "Imagine that. My little boy hasn't ever slept through a meal."

"Are you staying long Amanda?", Karen had picked up on her name from Pappy.

"Now, now Karen call her Mrs. Williams."

"No dad it's alright. You can call me Amanda, Karen. To answer your question Jack and I will be here for a long time, so you don't have to worry about him leaving."

Both children slightly blushed at that comment. Amanda held back a laugh, Pappy's smile grew brighter.

After dinner was finished the children helped clean up the dishes and headed outside. Amanda remained indoors with Pappy to discuss some 'Adult Matters' as she put it.

"It's nice outside at night here."

Karen had her hands folded behind her back as she walked around the field, Jack by her side.

"Jack what's the city like?"

"Nothing like this. It smells funny, there's no grass fields like this, and the people are really mean. All I hear all day are car noises."

"Sounds bad"

Jack kicked a few small stones around that were at his feet, "It's alright, but here is nicer."

"I'm glad you like it."

* * *

"Hurry up Jack and get ready!", A young girl stood outside the large cabin waiting impatiently in her bathing suit staring at the bedroom of the young man in question. If you listened carefully you could hear him fumbling around in a desperate attempt to get ready faster as to not disappoint the girl out side.

Within a few extra minutes and a few more phrases of encouragement the boy emerged from the cabin in an orange and blue bathing suit and no shirt on. The girl blushed when she saw him without a shirt for the first time but she wasn't exactly sure why.

Without thinking the girl took Jack's hand and led him down to the beach.

"Karen what's the rush?"

"Silly, today's the last day of summer and I want to have lots of fun on the beach while I still can."

Karen continued to rush down to the beach. Jack had no choice but to keep her pace as his hand was currently intertwined with hers. He thought back to the moments that they had shared over the past few months since his arrival. He had only met one other girl on the island, Ann, who was Karen's best friend. The three of them had played for countless hours at the beach. Jack was starting to consider the beach boring, but something about the fact this was the last day the water would be warm enough to play in made the beach that more exciting; so he had quickly accepted Karen's invitation to go play.

"Is Ann going to meet us there?"

Karen looked back at Jack, still running, "Why do you think we're running, I told her we would be their five minutes ago! She's gonna be mad if we don't get their soon."

Sure enough as the beach came into sight so did the young red headed girl.

"Well, well, if you both didn't finally decide to show up?"

Karen pointed an accusing finger at Jack, "Well it's his fault, he couldn't get ready quick!"

"Hey I could so. You kept me up so late talking about stuff I couldn't wake up!"

"Yea well I woke up just fine, you're just a big baby!"

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"I am not a baby!"

"Baby, baby, baby!"

"I am…."

"Stop it!", Jack didn't get any time to finish his sentence as Ann screamed her interjection at the two's argument.

"Look we've only got one day left of beach time so let's stop arguing", Ann slowly walked over to Karen and tapped her on the shoulder, "Karen, you're it!"

Immediately Ann and Jack went off running into the ocean with Karen close behind. The two continued to play on into the day playing games of Marco polo, building sand castles, playing pirates, and collecting sea shells. Finally the sun began to set and Ann said she had to go help her father get all the animals put away. Jack, and Karen said their goodbyes and walked back to Pappy's cabin together.

"I'm going to miss the beach."

Jack turned to look at Karen, she had a very sad expression on her face, "But it will be there forever, we can go back any time."

"But it will be too cold to go play."

"It'll be fine next summer."

"I guess your right."

The two continued to walk until Karen decided to break the silence by changing the subject.

"Did your mommy say you were going to school here?"

"Yep, I'm gonna be in first grade with Mr. Carter. Mommy said he'd teach me lots."

Karen giggled, "Mr. Carter teaches all the classes, I'm gonna be in first grade too. We'll be in the same class."

"Well that's good."

Karen smiled, "You'll get to meet everyone on the island."

Jack got a little nervous, he never liked being around lots of people he didn't know and thinking about meeting them all at once made him a little nervous, Karen noticed.

"Are you ok Jack?"

Jack kicked at the ground a little before coming to a stop. Karen turned to look at him."I just don't make friends very well. I'm scared they won't like me."

Karen smiled, "Everyone likes everyone on this island."

"But I'm not from here", Jack protested.

"Everyone will want to know you because you aren't. I always wanted to know about the city, and I'm sure everyone else will too."

"Ok", Jack was a little relieved after Karen's words.

Karen got an idea to help Jack get over his nervousness, "You know how about I show you some of the people that will be in our class?"

"Ok."

* * *

"Amanda you shouldn't be stressing yourself so much, the doctor told you to take it easy."

The young mother continued to wash the dishes, but turned to talk to her father, "Dad I'm just doing some minor chores to help pull my weight. It'd bad enough your feeding me and Jack and we're just freeloading here. I wish there was more we could do."

"Nonsense Amanda. Your husband is working hard to and sending money to cover any expenses you and my grandson have on me. Besides you're my only little girl, their isn't anything I wouldn't do for you."

Amanda smiled, "Well you're still not going to talk me out of doing a few chores."

Pappy sighed, "If you wish, but only because it makes you feel better. I'm going to go outside for a bit and get some of the fields tended to. Oh by the way I went and registered Jack for school with Mr. Carter at the church."

Amanda grew a little worried, "Jack always had problems making friends back home he was so shy. I hope he gets along ok."

Pappy gently laid a hand on Amanda's shoulder, "Sweetie, as long as Karen's with him he'll be fine. Besides these kids have never met anyone from the city before, he'll be the most popular one around with all the questions they'll be asking him."

Amanda looked out the window towards the town, "I hope your right dad."

* * *

"Wow so your from the city?"

"Yep."

Karen had been right. She knew all the kids would be in the town square this time of day playing games with each other. When she had announced that Jack was the new kid from the city it was like a movie star was among their midst.

"What's it like there?"

"Are the buildings really big?"

"Did you get to see a baseball game?"

"What's it like riding in a car?"

"Hey everyone take it easy Jack can only answer so many questions", Karen tried her best to keep everything under control. However everyone's curiosity wasn't satisfied until their questions were answered.

After the city questions where answered and numerous introductions were made Jack was no longer fearing school starting the next day. With a smile on his face he and Karen started walking back towards the cabin.

"They were fun, thanks Karen."

Karen smiled to herself, "Your welcome." She nudged herself against Jack and grabbed his hand. She saw Jack blush a little as he laced his fingers with her as they continued to walk towards the cabin, their summer over.

* * *

_Well there's the first chapter don't know if this will be any good or not. Please R&R if I get enough support I'll turn out the next chapter. Also I need a BETA, please send me a PM if you want the job!_


	3. Chapter 2: Time Goes On

**Chapter 2**

_Time Goes On_

**Three Years Later In November**

_**Karen's P.O.V.**_

All the leaves were changing to their fall colors. I always got excited because it meant my birthday, the harvest festival, and Jack's birthdays were right around the corner. It was around the middle of November, or Fall 5 going by the old guy's calendar, and I was out in the village walking with Jack. School had just started back up a few months ago and we were both in the 4th grade.

I sighed and hung my head back, "Things just don't get any better then this do they Jack?"

Jack seemed to look into the distance, "Yeah, I'd hate to ever leave this place."

He's been worried about having to leave ever since his mother had been admitted to the hospital. We visit her together at least once a day, and I know he goes by himself even more. She's been getting worse. Me and Jack are both too young to understand what the doctor's telling Pappy, but we can tell by Pappy's face that it isn't good.

"So the Christmas pageant tryouts are tomorrow. What role are you going for?"

I smiled; I knew he wanted to change the subject, "I'm going for Mary."

"Really, wow."

"What about you?"

Jack looked down at the ground and kicked a stone, "Actually I tried out to be one of the readers today, but I didn't make it."

"Sorry Jack. I forgot the reader tryouts were today. So what are you?"

"I carry the church flag."

I knew Jack had wanted a bigger part than that, but he was too nervous for any of the acting roles. I figured I could try to cheer him up.

"At least you don't have to memorize anything, but I wish you'd try out for Joseph. I'd feel more comfortable that way."

I noticed Jack blush just a little, but as usual my hope got crushed.

"Ah come on Karen, you're a great singer, and dancer for that matter. Sides there's no way I could sing in front of everyone."

I sighed and continued walking.

"Something wrong Karen?"

Sometimes I wanted to scream at him YES SOMETHING'S WRONG, YOU DON'T HAVE A CLUE HOW I FEEL, then I remember just how much Jack has on his mind with his mother as sick as she was.

"No Jack it's nothing. I'm just tired. Let's go to Mother's hill."

Things had been like this for awhile, in fact as long as I can remember. I couldn't tell if he was completely blind, or knew how I felt and just choose to ignore it. Any guy by now would have figured it out; I mean it looks like my only other option would be to flat out tell him that I liked him.

Then my mind started to race. Jack wasn't that stupid I'm sure he knew I liked him, or at the very least that I was interested in him. That would have to mean he didn't feel the same way about me, that's all there was too it. No that can't be right, but what other explanation is there?

"Karen?"

I must have jumped three feet in the air when I heard Jack's voice, "umm…yeah?"

"I was just going to warn you before you got too close to the cliff's edge."

I looked ahead of myself and sure enough I wasn't more than two feet from walking off the cliff's edge. "Oh, sorry, thanks."

Jack looked at me obliviously puzzled, "something on your mind Karen?"

"Naw, nothing."

"You sure? Something seems to be on you mind."

"Nope, I'm sure."

"Promise?"

"It's nothing really big."

"Ah, so there is something, come on, tell me."

"Come on Jack, it's not something I wanna talk about."

"Sorry Karen."

"Huh, why?"

"Because now I have to do this." Jack jumped and grabbed me tickling me all over. He knew my weakness, but I'd never give in. "How about now?"

"No…hahaha…way."

He continued for a few minutes before he decided to give up. "You've gotta give me something."

"How about if you try out for Joseph I'll tell you."

"Sorry Karen, but no way."

"Oh well then you get nothing."

He tickled me a little more before I decided to make a compromise.

"Alright, after the Christmas pageant I promise to tell you what I've been thinking about."

"Aww, but that's a month away."

"Sorry it's either that or Joseph."

"Fine, fine you win." Jack grunted as he sat next to me on a rock. The view of the village was breathtaking; I never got tired of it.

"So how do the tryouts work?"

"Well I go by the church tomorrow after school and sing a few songs for Pastor Carter, and then if I get chosen I get to play Mary."

The only other girl who was trying out for the part was my friend Ann. We used to be so close until Jack showed up that one summer years ago.

"So can I come watch you sing?"

I blushed a little and quickly looked away to hide it, "after you refused to try out for Joseph?"

"Oh come on Karen. I'll make it up to ya, I promise."

That only made me blush more, and when he talked like that I couldn't say no to him. "All right, but you can't laugh."

"I promise I won't laugh Karen."

"Fine then, should we stop by the doctors on the way home?"

"Yeah I need to tell mom how my day went."

We continued down the path until we got to the doctors. I hated this place…it was so cold. It smelt funny, and worst of all my grandparents died here. It held a lot of bad memories for me; I just hope Jack doesn't go through the same thing.

Tim was the new doctor. He had just turned 20 and was some kind of child genius getting his license while others his age were trying to get though pre-med school. If any one could save Jack's mom it had to be Tim.

Jack makes a b-line for the patient ward, and then to his mothers bed side. Jack's mom had been getting worse despite the doctor's best efforts. She was now confined to a hospital bed and was hooked up to an IV. Her skin was pale, and it took almost all of her energy to greet her son every day and smile. She smiled as I slowly walked into the room following Jack.

"Hunny, how was you day?"

It was hard to see Jack's mom in the dimly lit room, but it was easy enough to see she wasn't doing well.

"Hi mamma; it was great, but I didn't get the reader part in the Christmas pageant at the church."

"Oh sweet heart, it's alright. So what part did you get?"

"I'm a flag carrier."

"Oh that's a big part. Are you sure you're strong enough to carry that flag?"

Jack glanced at me looking a little embarrassed. When he caught my eye he quickly returned his attention back to his mother.

"That's great hunny I'm so proud of you", Jack smiled. Then Jack's mom looked at me, "Karen what part did you get?"

"I'm trying out to play Mary tomorrow."

"Oh my, what do you have to do at the try out?"

"I have to sing some songs for Pastor Carter. Ann's trying out too."

Jack spoke up, "I'm going to go watch her try out too mamma."

"You better behave while she's singing Jack. Karen, if he messes you up you come and tell me."

"Yes ma'am, I will."

Jack turned and playfully stuck his tongue out at me; I did the same to him.

"Excuse me miss, but its time for your treatment."

Dr. Tim had what looked like a shot to me in his hand. Jack's mom nodded to the doctor and then smiled at us.

"Well its time for you two to get back to pappy. Good luck Karen, and Jack come say goodbye to me." Jack climbed up to his mother and with Dr. Tim's help he gave her a hug and she kissed his check. "You behave young man. You best not ruin Karen's chances."

"Ah mamma, I'd never do that"

Jack walked over to me and we left the room. Walking down the town roads we took in the fall air.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Back in the city, during the Fall…is there anything you miss?"

Jack looked up at the sky as a gentle fall breeze came in, "Around my birthday a huge festival happens called the state fair."

"Ah, I've heard of that, but it's all the way back in the city."

"Yeah, my dad's business is near there. We get our tickets and he'd spend the entire day with us at the fair. At the end we'd get home made ice cream, watch the fireworks, and then go home. It was fun."

"Sounds like fun, I wish I could go"

Jack stopped walking and turned to look at me, "Then I promise I'll take you with me one day."

I could feel the heat rushing to my face as I turned away so he couldn't notice.

"Karen what's wrong?"

I took a deep breath and felt my face cool. I then turned to face him. "Nothing, I can't wait to go then."

"Yeah it'll be fun."

We continued to walk till we got to pappy's house. He came outside and picked us both up, and carried us inside. "I hope you both plan on joining me for supper."

We both smiled and answered "of course."

**The Next Day**

"Ok Karen you're next."

Pastor Carter gestured for me to come up to the stage he had set up. Butterflies filled my stomach; it was twice as bad with Jack there watching me. I wondered if asking Jack to come was a bad idea.

I wasn't sure how this was going to work. Memories of yesterday filled my mind at that point. I remember how after school Pappy had told me Jack's mom wanted to see me alone. It was weird because she had never asked me to come see her without Jack. I went right over and when I got there she smiled. She told me she understood how I was feeling, but to remember how young both I and Jack were. Then she told me to get a folder out of the hope chest she kept in her room.

Inside it was a song, complete with a music sheet for a piano. She had told me she used to sing that song to Jack when he was little, and that I should sing it for my tryout. I had refused at first feeling odd about taking it, but she assured me she had no further use for it as she had the song memorized.

I took it home and asked my mother to play it on the old piano we had downstairs. The song was beautiful, and spoke of an enchanted world where a boy and a girl finally found each other's love through a song. I was way too young to understand everything the song sang of, but I knew it would mean a lot to Jack. So after hearing it I practiced it over and over again.

"Karen what song would you like to sing?"

Now I had to sing it for real, and I was nervous. I handed the music sheet to Pastor Carter who gave it to the piano player. He turned to me and nodded for me to start when I was ready. I tried to get the first word out, but I realized I was too nervous to do it.

I looked to the source of my nervous. Sitting quietly, eyes fixated on me. I could tell from his face that he saw how panicky I was. Then he smiled at me. That smile gave me the confidence I needed. I felt my nerves calm, and then I took a breath and nodded for the piano player to start.

_"In your dreams magical thoughts _

_All things are real unless you dream their not_

Jack's face showed he instantly recognized the song. I was surprising myself how well I was singing it.

_"In your dreams, love is the plot_

_Carried on wings of hope_

_Each of our souls, intertwine, when we do_

_Instantly we see it, the time to grow and be it_

_When everything is pinned on a hope…_

_Let rise the dreams of your heart,_

_That innocent youth, carless and kind_

_Free to roam the breeze in love_

_Only when two…_

_Brilliantly shine as one"_

There was a long silence when I finished. Then I heard Carter slowly start to clap, then the piano player, then the other people in the audience, then finally Jack. His smile was bigger than before. I saw Ann get up and leave, she had sung before me, but I guess she figured she had been beaten.

"Karen that was amazing, would you like to play Mary?"

"Yes sir!" I was so happy I couldn't control myself. I ran to the back of the chapel where Jack was and hugged him as tight as I could.

"Jack did you hear? I'm Mary, I'm Mary!"

"Congratulations Karen."

His words made me even happier. I also realized what I was doing and quickly let go as my entire face turned red. "Sorry."

Jack put his hand on my shoulder, "No don't be. Where did you learn that song?"

"Your mother gave it to me yesterday."

Jack instantly got redder than I was. I was really confused.

"Are you ok Jack?"

"It's nothing, you ready to go?"

"Sure let me grab the music sheet from the piano player. I'll need to give it back to your mom."

"I wouldn't worry about returning it, but be sure to keep it."

_**Jack's P.O.V.**_

As soon as I finished speaking Karen ran to the piano player and got the music sheet. As we walked outside I felt like I should go see my mother.

"Karen, I think I'm going to go talk to my mom real quick."

"Sure, I need to tell her I got the part thanks to her song."

The embarrassment over that song quickly resurfaced in my mind making me go red again."Umm actually would you mind if I went by myself? I need to ask her something private."

Karen looked a little put out, "Oh, yea, sure. I'll see you later tonight for supper then ok?"

"Sure I'll meet you at Pappy's later."

Karen waved goodbye and hugging both the lyrics and music sheet to her she ran off for her house. I sighed and started walking up the path to the hospital.

"Mom…"

She wasn't doing too well. I didn't ever acknowledge it to any one publically, but I know they all knew her condition.

I opened the door to the small hospital and walked inside. Dr. Tim smiled and waved hello and I returned the greeting. I came here so often I could find my way around in the dark if I needed to.

I opened the door and found my mother instantly looking at me wide awake.

"I figured you'd be over here after you heard her."

Nothing got by my mother. It was hard to understand just how she did it.

"Momma why did you give her that song?"

"Oh Jack, you know why?"

That song that Karen sung was called Lunar Hearts. It was very special as my mother had sung it to my father, my grandmother to my grandfather and so forth. The mother would always give it to a girl she wanted her oldest son to marry. The thought back then, as young as I was, was scary.

"But momma that's silly, I'm only ten."

My mom motioned for me to come closer to her. When I got to her bedside she leaned over and lifted me up; which was a big deal because she didn't have a lot of strength.

"Jack you know I love you right?"

"Yea momma."

"You know I'm sick hunny."

I looked down at the bed sheets, "Yea."

When I looked back to her tears were forming in her eyes, "Oh hunny I wished you were so much older when something like this would happen, but you know momma isn't doing very well right?"

Now tears were forming in my eyes. The one thing I held onto was the hope my mother was going to get better. Now she was forcing me to let go of that wish.

"But momma."

"No buts Jack, momma is very sick, and I'm not going to get better I'm afraid."

Tears were starting to fall from my mom's cheeks. I had never seen her like this. It hurt me, and worried me. Even as young as I was, I knew she needed me to hear what she was going to say.

"Jack I don't know when it's going to happen, but momma is going to be going to Heaven."

Now I started to cry, "But momma we all go to Heaven."

"I know sweetie, but for momma it's going to be soon."

"How soon momma?"

I couldn't bear it. It was killing me. I had let go of the hope of my mother recovering. Now I was about to find out not when my mother was going to get better, but how much time I had left with her.

"Dr. Tim came and told me last month hunny. I might not make it to Christmas."

"What?"

"I'm sorry hunny, but I can't stop it. I love you Jack."

She gently stroked my hair with her hand and tried her best to smile. When my brain finally finished processing all the information I had heard I laid my head in her lap and cried.

_**Karen's P.O.V.**_

I saw Pappy still tending to his crops outside when I was walking down the path. I waved to him from a distance and he waved back. Getting a running start I charged for him and when I got close enough he scooped me up and put me on his shoulder.

"How are you doing little girl?"

"I'm ten Pappy I'm not a little girl."

"You'll always be my little grand-daughter I never had. Now let's go inside shall we?"

He carried me on his shoulder into the cabin and sat me down on the couch.

"How did your tryouts go?"

I couldn't hide my smile, "I'm Mary in the pageant."

Pappy smiled and rubbed my head, "That's my little girl! How about we have a big dinner tonight to celebrate? You want to help me cook?"

"Ok." I looked around for any sign of Jack, but couldn't find any. "Pappy, where's Jack?"

"I don't know sweetie I thought you would know."

"He told me he was going to do visit his mom, but that was after tryouts hours ago."

I saw Pappy's face turn a little worried, "I'm sure he's fine." We started getting the ingredients ready to cook when I started humming the tune of the song I had sung at tryouts without thinking, it quickly got Pappy's attention.

"Karen is that the song you sung for the tryout?"

"Uh huh, Jack's mom gave it to me yesterday when you told me to go see her."

I could tell pappy was putting one and one together in his head. His face quickly got serious.

"Sweetie when Jack comes back you need to not sing or hum that song for right now ok?"

"Umm, ok Pappy."

"Jack might be a little upset when he gets back, but remember its nothing you did ok?"

Pappy put on a smile and it made me a little more comfortable. Before I could ask what was wrong with the song I heard the door open and in walked Jack. He looked horrible. You could tell he had been crying. Pappy quickly walked up to him and enveloped him in a hug which Jack returned. I saw Pappy lean over and whisper something into Jack's ear and Jack nodded. Pappy then turned to look at me.

"Karen I'm going to go for a walk with Jack. Can you mind supper?"

Without thinking I nodded and they both left.

I can't cook hardly anything. That's always been one of my downfalls. I quickly climbed onto the countertop with the help of a chair and searched the cabinets for something easy to make. I knew Jack had something big on his mind making him feel bad, and I wanted to help any way I could, and right now the best way to help him was to make something good to eat, or at least edible.

Then I saw it, a box of macaroni and cheese. We had bought several of them last week since it was Jack's favorite meal, and best of all it was easy to make. Jack's mom had showed me how to make it one day when Pappy was teaching Jack how to work in the fields.

I grabbed a thing of milk and butter, some measuring cups, and a pot. Quickly getting to work I was careful to make it just how Jack's mother had taught me. I boiled the water on the stove and when it bubbled emptied the macaroni into the pot. Luckily I saw the packet that had the cheese in it before it hit the water and grabbed it. Then I boiled the noodles for two and a half minutes, just the way Jack likes it.

I strained the macaroni into the pot and got ready for the hard part. Looking back at the clock Jack and Pappy had been gone for about ten minutes now, and it was getting dark. I decided not to worry and got back to cooking. Mixing the milk, butter, cheese and macaroni with a pinch of salt I kept stirring until everything came together. The timing couldn't have been more perfect as soon as I put the bowl filled with mac and cheese on the table Jack and Pappy came back in. Jack still looked really down, but he managed a small smile when he saw what I had cooked.

"Did you cook that Karen?" Pappy pointed to the bowl on the table and I nodded my head. "Well Jack it looks like someone remembered your favorite dinner."

"Thanks Karen."

I smiled, "your welcome Jack."

We all sat down and I got nervous after everyone had loaded their plate with food. I followed the directions as best as I could remember them, but I was still a jinx when it came to cooking.

Jack placed the food in his mouth and lit up, "Karen this is great."

Those words about my cooking left me on cloud nine and all I could do was smile. We sat there and ate. I never found out what had made Jack so upset, or why he stayed at the hospital so long.

* * *

_End Chapter 2_

_A/N: I want to thank both my BETA's for working so hard on this chapter Jersey Strat-O and Libra1. This chapter wouldn't be half as good as it is without your help._

_I'll be working on the next chapter and hopefully get it out before months end, however if you want to check my daily progress log onto my message board (it's the homepage link in my profile) in my blog I give a daily update on my story writing progress and you can even gain access to the members only section by signing up (free of course) for a user name. The members only section has spoilers, songs that inspired scenes in the story, video interviews, and other great stuff so check it out!_


	4. Chapter 3: She Was Smileing

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to mention in the last chapter and it goes for future chapters as well the song Karen sings is actually taken from Lunar SSS. It fit pretty well in here though and will be a major focal point.

**NOTE: **If you want insider information and know how far along I am on writing the next chapter for your favorite story sign up on my message board. There's ton of insider info like notes I used while writing, inspirational music, ect and DAILY story status updates to fill you in on when chapters will be released. Check out my profile page for the link!

**Chapter 3**

_She was smiling_

* * *

**Karen's P.O.V.**

I looked out from the chapel doors and instantly got nervous. The entire village was here. I inwardly regretted my decision to try out for a leading role.

_"Now I understand why Jack didn't want to do this."_

I looked around for anyone that I could talk to before I had to go out. Harris was playing Joseph and he was even more nervous than I was. Rick was in the back arguing with his sister Popuri about whose flag should go first. That's when I spotted him, or I guess you could say he spotted me.

I saw Jack sit his flag in the stand and walk my way. The past few weeks leading up to this were kind of painful. Jack told me the night after his mother gave him the news that she didn't expect to make it to Christmas. I couldn't really understand how he must have felt about losing his mother, and so close to Christmas too. It just didn't seem fair.

"Karen, are you ok?"

"Of course," I lied, and it was clear he saw right through it.

"You're nervous aren't ya?"

"…yes"

"Don't be," Jack gently grabbed my hand and it made my heart beat even faster, but for a different reason this time. "You're going to do fine, just act like it's just me and you and you'll do fine. Mama's watching both of us; let's make it special for her…"

Jack let that last part of the sentence drown out, but I knew what he was going to say. He wanted to make it special for her last time. After Jack told me that I couldn't possibly let myself get nervous and screw up. I instantly felt calm.

"I will, thanks Jack."

"No problem, but remember you promised me last month you'd tell me what was on your mind once this was over."

I instantly turned red all over. I had forgotten about that promise. Tonight I had to confess to Jack…that I liked him.

**_One Hour Later_**

_"Ok last song, I can do this. Everyone's singing, my solo is over,"_ I breathed a huge sigh of relief. The last song, 'Joy to the World', was about to play. Jack was standing below me off to the side of the chapel with the other flag carriers. I saw Jack's mom beaming at Jack, and a few times she even smiled at me, especially during my solo.

The organ started to play its tune and all of our childish voices started to fill the chapel. As we got into the chorus I noticed Jack's mom was sweating some, but I figured it was just hot in here. Then we got to the second chorus and she fainted. Jack ran to her. No one seemed to notice, so I went to her too. Since I was center stage all eyes followed me off. When they saw Jack's mom Doctor Tim ran over.

"Help me carry her to the hospital she needs help quickly."

The next few minutes were a blur. I remember running after Jack and catching him as we both ran towards the hospital. I could see the tears streaming down his face, and not noticing before I felt under my eyes and felt my own tears.

_"When did I start crying?"_

We continued to run down the path to the hospital. The men who had carried Jack's mom were able to run faster than us, and the rain that started up was slowing us down.

Then we got there. I don't know why but just standing outside seeing the red glowing hospital symbol above the door made me and Jack both stop for a few seconds. I grabbed Jack's hand and smiled at him trying my best to help him. It seemed to work, but then the tears came back and he snatched his hand from my grasp and ran inside. I followed him in as we ran aimlessly down the hall. Then we both ran into someone.

It was pappy, and he was crying.

* * *

**Jack's POV**

As soon as I saw Pappy's face I knew what had happened. I wanted to cry but my throat was closed up. I managed in between sobs to get out a simple question.

"Pappy?"

He looked like he was just as choked up as I was. He looked at me and just shook his head.

"Jack…your mamma…Amanda…she went to…heaven."

I grabbed onto Pappy's leg and cried. I saw Karen grab onto Pappy's other leg and do the same. I knew she cared about my momma too so we both just stood their and cried into Pappy. He bent down and hugged us both. Before we knew it he was carrying us out of the hospital to the house. I didn't want to be in there any more. I didn't want to see my mother dead.

Before I knew it we were in the house. Pappy walked to his bedroom and when he came out I saw he had a fresh set of clothes on. He handed me a set of clothes and offered Karen a spare set of mine as well. We quickly changed wordlessly. We both couldn't cry any more. When I got out Pappy had started a fire in the fireplace and pulled out the sofa bed. Me and Karen climbed up onto the bed and each of us snuggled up under one of pappy's arms as he gently played with our hair.

"Pappy?"

"Shh Jack, don't worry everything's going to be wonderful someday."

We all drifted off to sleep.

**_The Next Morning_**

The ringing of Pappy's old wall phone stirred us from our sleep. If I had just been asleep in my own bed I would have thought all the things that happened last night were just a bad nightmare, but seeing I was on the couch with Pappy and Karen only reminded me of what happened. I got a little sad, but I kept myself from crying. I knew if I did Karen would start too.

Pappy got off the couch and walked over to answer the phone. I could see his solemn expression when he answered.

"Hello Alex."

There was a pause. "Yes it's true. Amanda passed last night."

"Of course, he's just waking up. He's a little down I'm sure you can imagine."

"I know Alex, I miss her too."

"Jack come here your dad wants to talk to you."

I ran out of the bed and got the phone from Pappy.

"Dad?"

"Jack, are you ok?"

"…not really"

"Jack I'm coming to pick you up today and take you back to the city. Get your things ready."

"But dad."

"Son, I really can't deal with this right now. Have your things ready I'll be there by supper time."

I had to fight the tears welling up in my eyes. Pappy caught my look and took the phone from me.

"Alex what did you just tell him? He's about to cry."

Karen heard Pappy say that and she jumped down from the bed. I was able to stop crying a little when I saw her dressed in my clothes, she looked funny.

"Jack, are you ok?"

I nodded. I didn't want her to know yet. Maybe Pappy could talk dad out of it.

"Alex he's got a home here, you can't just do this all of a sudden, it'll be too much on him."

"Of course I understand he's your son, but think about it, who's going to watch him?"

"A nanny!? Alex please be more…yes…yes Alex but…at least for the funeral Alex…this is crazy Alex I understand your grieving, but…don't make this worse on him Alex."

"She was my daughter Alex of course I'm grieving. No father should have to bury his children."

There was a long pause and I saw Pappy's face get angry for the first time in my life. "I thought you were a better man than this Alex."

He hung up the phone and his face had an apologetic expression. "Jack I think you should tell Karen what your father told you."

It was too much. First I lose my mom and now all my friends. I wanted to just freeze time and never have to leave. "Karen my daddy wants me to go home."

I could see the tears in her eyes. "But Jack, tell your daddy you're already home."

"I tried Karen, I really did. Dad's really upset right now…I am too…and I know you are also."

Karen didn't move. I was hoping she'd come and hug me or at least grab my hand, but instead she just stood there.

"So you're leaving?"

The way she put it made me feel ashamed. It's not like it was my fault. It wasn't my choice. If I had my way I would have stayed.

"It's not like I chose to leave."

"But you're leaving."

"Yes I have to."

"Why can't you stay?"

"I don't know. My dad's making me leave."

Then she ran. I don't know why, but she just ran out of the house. I started to go after her, but Pappy put a hand on my shoulder and kept me back.

"Pack your things Jack. She'll be back."

I nodded and went to my room to get my things together. This was the worst two days of my life.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

I shouldn't have run. In fact I should have stayed there and tried to comfort him, but instead I ran. I ran because I couldn't take it anymore. I was really sad that Jack's mom died. She was nice to me and I liked her. I especially liked that song she gave me.

I ran towards my room. I saw both my parents in the living room. My mom shouted to me, but I didn't want to talk right now. I'm sure she understood because she didn't follow me. When I got to my room I opened my hope chest and got the song out. I hummed it through once and then once I got the tune I started to sing.

"In your dreams magical thoughts, all things are real unless you dream their not, in your dreams love is the plot carried on wings of hope," Just listening to myself sing the lyrics calmed me. It was like Jack's mom knew the words would comfort me.

"Each of our souls intertwine when we do. Instantly we see it, the time to grow and be it. When everything is pinned on a hope" Now I started to feel bad about leaving Jack. I was feeling sorry for myself, for losing him, but I had to think about what he was losing. His home he's known for the past three years, his mother, everything he had finally come to accept as his home and his life was now gone.

"Let rise the dreams of your hearts, that innocent youth, careless and kind. Dream upon the breeze of love, only when two brilliantly shine as one."

Now I didn't know what to do with myself. I felt horrible. I only had a few hours left with Jack before his father got here, but how could I make them count?

"_No problem, but remember you promised me last month you'd tell me what was on your mind once this was over."_

Jack's words echoed in my head. _"Should I tell him I like him?"_

Part of me said yes, this might be your only chance. The other side said why bother he's going to be gone for good in a few short hours.

I sighed no matter which way I looked at it there wasn't anything there for me, just hurt. He'd either hurt me by not returning my feelings, or he'd hurt me by leaving. It hit me then that I was just thinking of myself. This could be something good for Jack. If he did like me maybe it'd give him a reason to come back, maybe if his dad saw how good life was down here he'd let Jack stay. That's when I decided to set my plan into action.

I ran down stairs and explained this situation to my parents. They both already knew that Jack's mother was dead, but they were shocked to hear that Jack's father was going to be taking him away from the island so quickly.

"I thought if we showed Jack's dad how friendly the island was he'd let Jack stay."

My daddy stroked his beard for awhile and then smiled. "I think that's a good idea Karen, what do you say, Sasha, should we give it a try?"

My mom smiled. "It couldn't hurt. Besides poor Jack's going through so much right now it doesn't seem right. I'll go tell Manna."

Dad moaned. "Well there's one way to get the news out quick." We all laughed and Mom left to get her job done. My dad stood up. "Well I'll take care of the grapes and then go talk to the Mayor. I'm sure you have your own plans to take care of."

I smiled. "Yep."

"Alright then squirt get to it." My dad patted me on the head and I ran out find the first person I needed to help me, Ann. It wouldn't be easy, but I had to do it. At least that's what I kept telling myself as I walked up to her family's Ranch.

"Hi Karen," Gray, Ann's brother, greeted me from the path. I waved to him with a smile and walked towards the barn. I knew where Ann would be.

Sure enough, she was tending to the animals when I walked up. She caught my eye and I could see the surprise.

"Karen?"

"Ann, I really need your help."

Ann threw her nose up. "Why should I help you?"

I calmly walked towards her. "Ann I'm really sorry for everything that's happened between us. I really want to be friends again."

I saw Ann's expression soften some as she looked at me. "Are you really sorry?"

"Yea."

Then Ann really surprised me. She hugged me.

"I missed you Karen."

I returned the hug. "I missed you too Ann. I really need your help though; otherwise you'll be the only friend I have on the island."

Ann was really surprised as she drew back. "Huh?"

"Jack's mom died last night so Jack's dad called this morning and told him he was taking Jack back to the city."

Ann looked shocked. "But he can't do that, this is Jack's home."

"I know Jack doesn't want to leave. I told my mamma and dad and they're both helping me. We have to show Jack's dad how wonderful the Island is so he won't want to take Jack."

Ann smiled. "It might work, I'll tell my parents. What are you going to do next?"

"Talk to Carter. Could you ask Popuri and her mom about flowers and stuff?"

"Sure how long do we have?"

"Until supper."

"Wow that's not really a lot of time you know."

"I know, but we can do it, right?"

Ann smiled even bigger. "There's nothing we can't do Kar."

I smiled hearing my old nickname coming from my friend again. "Thanks Ann."

"No problem, let's hurry though!"

"Right."

I was off running again. Ann ran into her house to tell her dad the news. Meanwhile I made a B line for the church. Running towards it I noticed the bar and made a mental note to stop in and ask Duke to help too. He always had stuff that made old people laugh and be happy so I'm sure he could help Jack's dad.

I ran into the chapel and saw father Carter sitting down on one of the pews praying. I came in quietly so I wouldn't disturb him, but I couldn't wait for him to finish.

Luckily when I walked up on him he heard me and finished praying. "Karen, are you ok? I heard Jack's mother passed away last night and you were there."

I nodded. "I'm still sad about it but I'm fine. I'm here to ask for your help though."

"What do you need?"

"Jack's daddy called this morning and wants to take him back to the city. Jack doesn't want to leave and I can tell Pappy doesn't want him to leave either."

"Yes that does sound bad. Did Jack's father tell you why he wanted to bring Jack back home so suddenly? Especially since his mother just passed away last night?"

"I don't know Pappy and Jack were the only ones who talked to him, but Pappy got really upset. I'm trying to get all the villagers together so we can show Jack's dad how great our Island is so he won't want to leave."

Carter smiled. "Karen that's a splendid idea; I'll be glad to help. Let me finish up here and I'll go gather as many people as I can find."

"Thanks Father."

"No problem."

I ran out of the church to the bar and banged on the door. Duke came out smiling when he saw me. "If it isn't little Karen. What do you need?"

"Duke, Jack's daddy's going to take him away."

"My, didn't his mother pass on last night?"

"Uh huh. I'm trying to get all the villagers to help me tonight when Jack's daddy comes. I want to show Jack's daddy that this place is wonderful and he should leave. You have stuff that makes all the adults happy so I hoped you could help."

I wasn't sure why but Duke seemed to find the part about his stuff that makes all adults happy hilarious. He stopped laughing and smiled at me. "I'll be happy to help Karen. Where are we all meeting?"

"At the dock. We'll all eat an early supper and meet at Zack's house."

Duke smiled. "I think I'll go talk to Zack before he leaves for the city. I'll be there Karen and I'll bring plenty of stuff to make Jack's dad happy."

Duke locked the door and laughed as he walked off towards the beach. I still wasn't sure why it was so funny, but if Duke was going to help I was sure this was going to work out.

---

* * *

**Jack's POV**

Everything seemed foggy to me when I looked at it. I noticed I was crying; slowly building up tears until everything around me looked like it was underwater. Then with a blink the tear would fall down my cheek as another one started to build. It was like that the entire time I was packing. Putting away my clothing, toys, and things I had collected. To be honest the only reason I hadn't noticed the tears running down my face was because I was numb. My brain had barely started to grasp the thought that my mom was now dead. Instead of the people I had grown up around slowly trying to bring my life back to normal I was being pulled away from that too, to be taken back to a life I had left behind.

I stopped, looking at my nightstand at the picture that was on it. A few months after we arrived, mom, Pappy, Karen, and I had started to build the extra rooms onto Pappy's house to hold us. I remember how excited I was to actually build my own bedroom. I looked around the room and could almost see all four of us again working on the room. Me and Karen hanging from the rafters handing stuff up to Pappy; mom shouting at us to be careful as she handed us wood, nails, and what not from the ground, and Pappy smiling at us with a mouth full of nails as he made the room slowly take shape. Of course the carpenters had come to help with mom's room and a new bathroom and kitchen, but we built my room.

I looked over at my clock that hung on the wall. It was already five thirty in the afternoon. A knock at my door grabbed my attention. Pappy slowly entered.

"Jack let's eat supper."

"Ok Pappy."

Pappy put on what I easily recognized to be a fake smile as we walked to the kitchen to have what I thought would be our last meal together. My favorite dish sat on the table, a steaming plate of mac and cheese.

"Did Karen make it?" Secretly I prayed Karen would come back as I desperately wanted to spend as much time as I could with her before I had to leave.

Pappy's fake smile disappeared and a frown took its place. "I'm sorry Jack but Karen hasn't come back yet."

I looked down at my bowl of food tears swelling up again I wiped them off before putting a smile on my face. "That's ok, lets try and be happy, momma's watch'n."

Pappy smiled. "Yes she is Jack. Yes she is."

We quickly finished eating and decided we'd walk down to the dock to meet my dad. I could tell Pappy was going to give it one last shot to see if dad would let me stay. I really didn't want to leave. When we got closer to the beach we saw the lights were on at Zach's house. Straining my eyes revealed what must have been the entire village partying at Zach's house.

"Pappy what's going on?"

Pappy smiled at me. "It looks like I'm not the only one who doesn't want you to leave. Look here comes Karen."

My spirits instantly lifted when I saw Karen running my way. I hugged her tightly. "I thought you hated me."

I pulled back and saw the surprised look on Karen's face. "Hate you? I couldn't hate you Jack. I got scared, but then I had this idea. I went to Ann and all the villagers to throw a party so we could show your daddy what a fun place this is so he won't want to take you home."

I got very excited thinking there was no way my dad was going to take me home now. "Karen you're the best friend ever!"

We hugged again and this time I didn't pull back when Karen started to whisper in my ear. "And once we convince your daddy you should stay I'll tell you what I was going to say after the Christmas pageant."

I had forgotten about our promise, but I wasn't going to let Karen off that easy. "That's not fair you gotta tell me now. You were supposed to tell me earlier."

"Gotta catch me!"

I chased after her not caring if she told me or not. Right now I was free. Right now I was where I belonged. I was a kid playing pointless games having fun with friends. Not worrying about my dead mother, or the possibility I would have to leave this all behind. No today I was just a normal nine year old boy.

We continued to run around on the beach until a boat horn caught my attention. Karen grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the dock. "Come on Jack we have to meet your daddy."

As we passed by Zach's hut Karen banged on the door and yelled to the crowd. "Everyone Jack's dad is here!"

"Woohoo let's get the party started!" Ann's father Doug had shouted. I saw a glass of something in his hand. I recognized it and Pappy had told me it was called beer. Some of the other people had smaller glasses filled with different colored liquid. It was interesting, but Pappy would never let me taste it saying it was only for grown ups.

"Doug careful we don't want to scare the man off, do we?" Karen's father also had a huge smile plastered on his face. All the villagers walked out to the dock with me. I was glad for their support because I was really nervous about meeting my dad.

I saw him step off the boat. Blue jeans, sneakers, long straight brown hair, a red button down shirt open at the top revealing a white undershirt. It was my dad, no mistake. His eyes looked like he had been crying which instantly reminded me of mom's death. But I knew I had to be strong. I had to make dad feel at home, or he'd take me away.

"Daddy?"

My dad smiled and held his arms open. I ran to him and he scooped me up. "Jack I'm sorry I was so mean to you today I had just heard about mom and was really upset."

"It's ok Daddy. All the townspeople came here to cheer you up!"

My dad looked around and I could tell he was surprised. "Wow you're right."

"Alex let me be the first to welcome you to Flower Bud." The mayor shook my dad's free hand the other was holding me. My dad was really strong.

The mayor gave my dad a drink. Dad sat me down and I ran over to Karen. Pappy walked over to dad, he had already gotten his own drink.

"Alex we want to show you how life is on the Island. We believe on a happy sending. Amanda wouldn't want you, or Jack in pain, but stay here awhile. This is where Amanda grew up and turned into the woman you fell in love with. We've all got stories about her."

My dad looked down into his glass as if in deep thought for a second. "I would like to learn about her life here. It would help me raise Jack."

Duke went up to my dad with a blue colored drink taking my Dad's beer away for a second. "Here Alex drink this down it'll help."

My dad listened and quickly drank the drink. He coughed afterward. "What was that?"

"Invented it myself, we call it the Harvester because it gets everyone into the party mood."

Dad picked his beer back up. When he bent over to grab it he stumbled a little and the villagers laughed. "Feeling it already Alex?"

My dad was smiling. "Just a little buzz, everyone get over here and introduce yourselves to me!"

Pappy laughed and it looked like he had relaxed a little. I was on cloud nine thinking dad had at least decided to give the island a chance. I grabbed Karen's hand and squeezed it to get her attention. "Thanks."

Karen smiled at me. "Don't worry about it. I'd miss you too much so it was worth it."

She quickly turned away from me. I guess she said something she didn't mean too because I saw her blush. I really didn't understand her sometimes, but I was glad the plan was working.

As the night went on there was dancing and races down the beach. The bakery had brought over a huge cake that we all ate. At the end of the evening me, dad, and Pappy lit a candle and put it on a small wooden boat. We let it drift off to sea letting go of mom.

"Momma's still watching right daddy?"

My dad didn't say anything he fell backwards and didn't move. I got really scared thinking I had lost my dad too. Pappy came up to me laughing.

"Its ok Jack, he just had too much to drink."

"But Pappy, he isn't moving."

Pappy put a hand on my shoulder. "Trust me he's fine see." Pappy jabbed dad on the shoulder and my dad moved a little and grumbled something I couldn't understand before falling asleep again. I laughed.

"Good."

I saw Karen down the beach and decided to run after her. "You gotta tell me now!"

I saw her smile in the moonlight and for the first time I blushed. Karen was really pretty.

"Gotta catch me!"

Her taunt shook me out of my day dream and I chased after her.

* * *

**_End Ch. 3_**

_Wow that was longer than I expected. So what's going to happen will Jack and Karen stay together or will Jack's dad have such a huge hangover he'll be in a horrible mood and want to leave the island the second they're able? Tune in next time for Chapter 4 Home is Where The Heart Is._

PS Thanks to Libra1 for checking over this for me. Wouldn't have been possible without her help and she's got a lot of quality HM fanfic's so check out her stuff when you get the chance.


	5. Chapter 4: While We’re Still Young

**Chapter 4**

_While We're Still Young_

* * *

**Jack's P.O.V.**

Me and Pappy were already sitting at the table, breakfast in front of us. I had just started to eat when my daddy came out of his room holding his head a little, but a smile on his face.

"You always did bounce back quickly." Pappy smiled when he saw dad was feeling alright.

"If I remember correctly you're not exactly a lightweight yourself Jake. Jack how you doing today?"

"Good" I smiled as dad rubbed my head as he sat down to eat.

"Jake this looks wonderful."

"Eat all you want. The villagers want to show you around today so you'll need your energy."

Dad smiled "Such a lively group of people down here. I was surprised."

Pappy laughed "That's nothing, you should see the festivals." Pappy paused and looked at dad, "Amanda's favorite was the Goddess festival."

I got a little scarred when Pappy mentioned mom, but then I was surprised when I saw dad smile. "I'd love to hear about it."

Pappy leaned back in his chair "Her mother Samantha had spent all day getting Amanda's Goddess outfit ready. All the girls wear them, pretty white dresses with flowers in them. Aren't they pretty Jack?"

I felt my face get a little hot remembering dancing with Karen at the Goddess festivals, "Yea."

Pappy smiled "Anyways, Samantha was very adamant about Amanda's costume being the best one. She even went as far as going around to see all Amanda's friend's dresses and to make sure hers was the best. It was hilarious. So when the big day came sure enough Amanda had the most extravagant gown of them all, and she was voted by the villagers to be the Goddess that year, her mother couldn't have been happier."

My dad was enjoying the story "Who took her?"

"That year? Let me think…Oh yes it was Doug. He still lives here on the island with his daughter. Lost his wife when Ann was born, he'd love to talk to you."

"That's not a bad idea. How's that sound Jack? Want to go around the island and hear stories about your mom?"

I was actually excited. Nodding my dad grabbed my hand and we excused ourselves from the table. I felt grown up showing dad the way to the ranch where Doug lived. I found myself telling my dad about them on the way.

"Mr. Doug runs the ranch. He's got two kids Gray and Ann. Gray's the oldest."

My dad looked down at me "Do you like Ann?"

I quickly got embarrassed "No! Daddy, come on."

My father laughed. "That's right Ann wasn't her name. What was that little girl's name you were chasing around…Katie?...Caitlin?...wait no it was Cameron."

"Karen dad, Karen."

"Oh ok so the girl you like is named Karen."

"No dad!"

My dad laughed again and rubbed my head. By now we were at the ranch. My dad spotted Doug and went up to talk to him. He motioned for me to wait outside while he talked to Doug. I quickly spotted Ann and Gray in the barn and went to go play with them knowing dad was going to take awhile.

Ann saw me and put her pail down rushing into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're still here Jack I was getting worried your dad would take you back this morning."

"No way, pappy and dad talked and some of the villagers are taking dad on a tour of the town."

A smile spread over Ann's lips, "That's wonderful! Karen's plan worked! Did you hear that Gray?"

Gray walked up and put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm glad you're still around. Where's your dad?"

I pointed towards the ranch house. "He's inside talking to your dad about my mom."

Ann was puzzled. "Our dad knew your mom?"

I had forgotten all my friends didn't know my mom used to live here. "Your dad took my mom to the Goddess festival when they were little. Mamma grew up on the island."

"Oh."

I nodded and looked around. Ann had mentioned Karen's plan and it made me want to see her. "Is Karen around?"

Ann shook her head. "No, but she said she would be. Said something about finishing some chores first."

* * *

**Karen's P.O.V.**

_"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" _ Those thoughts continued to rush through my head as I ran around my room. I know my mom and dad meant well, but honestly cleaning my room was the last thing on my mind today.

I saw anything lying on my bedroom floor as an enemy keeping me from seeing Jack. I knew my plan had gone well last night, but it was no guarantee that Jack was going to be around for good. It had only been the 1st stage. I still had plenty to do.

"Done!" Taking one quick look around my room I was satisfied with my work and ran down stairs. I didn't even look at my parents when I left. I simply yelled, "I'm going to see Jack" before I ran out the door and down the path towards Jack's house.

I remembered how happy Jack had been when he saw all the villagers at the dock. I knew he was scared about leaving last night…and even though I didn't tell him I was scared of him leaving too.

I rounded the bend in the path and saw Pappy's cabin in the distance. I picked up my pace. I was willing to do anything to convince Jack's dad that he should let Jack stay. I knew somewhere in my head it was a selfish, but I wasn't old enough to really understand that fully quite yet. Rushing up to the door I didn't have time to knock on it before Pappy opened it. He looked down at me and smiled.

"Jack went with his father Karen."

I felt a cold chill run down my spine. Pappy must have seen the fear in my face. "Don't worry Karen they only went to the Green's ranch. Why don't you go join them?"

"Thanks Pappy."

I ran back to the path waving goodbye to Pappy as I ran. Taking another path quickly brought me up to the Green ranch. I saw Jack, Gray, and Ann outside talking.

"Karen!"

Ann jumped up and hugged me as I approached the group. I looked at Jack and could see he was happy to see me as well. Gray just walked back into the barn mentioning he had some work to finish.

"What's going on Jack, where's your daddy?"

"Inside with Ann's dad, they're talking about my mom."

I smiled; it seemed everything was going to plan. I didn't let myself get too content though, much was left to be done for everything to go right.

"That's good. Some of the villagers should be around here soon to take your daddy on a tour. Then we're supposed to have the funeral service for your mom."

I noticed Jack stiffen at the mention of his mother's funeral. I felt like I had put my foot in my mouth.

Jack must have noticed. Because he quickly recovered and hugged me again, whispering a word of thank into my ear as he pulled back.

I smiled and placed my hand in the middle of the circle my trio of friends had formed. "I know it's too early to say, but let's give it our all to make sure Jack stays."

Ann put her hand on top of mine. "I promise I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen."

Jack placed his hand in next. "Me too; I don't ever want to leave."

On a short count to three we raised our hands yelling "go team!" Gray looked at us like we were crazy, but it didn't matter to me. I was dead set on Jack staying here with us, and the more I knew were with me, the better I felt our chances were.

The remainder of the day went as planned. About a half hour after I met Ann; Carter, my father, Pappy, and Duke all arrived at the ranch to take Jack's dad around. It must have gone well because they were gone for quite some time, and when they came back Jack's father was joking and carrying on with the men like they were log lost buddies.

---

**The Next Day**

As I looked around the church butterfly's started to churn up inside me. I had only agreed to sing at the funeral because it was supposed to help Jack's chances at staying. I had kept my song selection secret, wanting to perform the song she had given me to sing at the pageant. I saw Jack sitting with his dad, as well as the entire village. It almost seemed the crowd was bigger now, than at the pageant.

I was nervous, but I was more worried about Jack leaving the island than I was performing. Slowly I walked towards the center of the church. I felt everyone's eyes lock onto me. The piano player started to play the music I had given her. When I looked at Jack's father I saw his eyes widen as if he recognized the tune. I saw him whisper something to Pappy who too looked like he was surprised.

I started to sing; the familiar words rolling off my tongue as I had practiced them over and over again. I noticed Jack seemed to grow a little worried, his father looked uncomfortable, and Pappy looked even more nervous than Jack.

I tried my best to ignore them and finish the song, but when Jack's father stood up and left the church I couldn't continue. I saw Jack run after his father and I quietly went and sat next to Pappy.

Luckily the pastor noticed the situation and continued with the service. Pappy must have noticed I was uncomfortable because he wrapped his arm around me and drew me close. I hugged onto him. I was so worried I did something wrong.

It wasn't till the ending hymn that Jack and his dad came back and sat down with us. I wasn't sure but it looked like Jack had been crying, his dad just kept looking forward focused on the coffin at the center of the church's alter.

Afterwards we slowly proceeded up the path to Mother's Hill. The men of the village and Jack's father carried the coffin up as we walked up the hill. A grave had already been dug for Jack's mother and we all stood around it as they lowered the casket into it.

After a brief prayer and a few words were said by Pappy and other members of the village about their memories of Jack's mother, Jack's father stepped forward to speak. I don't know why, but I had a horrible feeling he was going to say something I didn't want to hear.

"Everyone I want to thank you for coming today and sharing your memories of Amanda. I learned so much about her life here, and about this island. She was very blessed to be raised in an environment like this." I noticed he looked down at the coffin and seemed to think for a few seconds before continuing. "I wish I could give my son the same gift Amanda received when she got to grow up here, but I can't leave him here. Jack's my world now, and I owe it to him and Amanda to raise him. I know all of you want him to remain here, but please understand that I need him with me, and I will raise him."

"No!"

* * *

**Jack's POV**

I was surprised to hear Karen shout at my father. I was even more surprised when she wrapped her arms around me and I felt her hot tears on my neck. It wasn't expected so I had no idea how to respond, neither did my father.

Dad just stood there, speechless. He didn't look angry; in fact he looked sorry for Karen. I know she had no idea what the song she sang meant to my family. I knew I couldn't tell her now though in front of everyone. Luckily my Dad soon found his voice and rescued me.

He bent down and placed an arm on Karen's back. "Karen, how about we go back to Pappy's and we can talk about it there."

Karen didn't respond, but she did take her arms off of me. She ran over to Pappy and hugged his leg. He lifted her up into his arms, and I saw him look to Karen's parents for their approval. They nodded and we started off for Pappy's house, the rest of the villagers departed to get on with the rest of their day.

When we got into the house Pappy sat Karen down on the sofa and I sat next to her.

"Jack I think its best you tell her what that songs all about. I'll come in after I finish pack my things and Amanda's. Pappy's going to give me a hand."

Pappy followed Dad into mom and my bedroom; leaving me and Karen alone.

"Jack, what's your dad talking about?"

I knew I'd have to tell her about the song eventually, ever since I heard her sing it at the tryouts. I had to push myself to get over the embarrassment because I knew it was important she understood how important it was to my family.

"Well, it's been in our family for a long time. Pappy's grandma wrote it when she was a little girl here on the island." I could feel my face turning red as I got to the more embarrassing part.

"You see, the tradition started with my great-grandmother when she gave the song to my grandmother to sing to Pappy. Then she handed the song down to my momma to sing to my dad."

I looked over at Karen who still didn't seem to understand where I was getting at. "The song's called 'Lovers Lullaby'. In my case I'm the only son. So when my mother gave you the song to sing, it was her way of choosing you as my…" The word wife didn't come out, the embarrassment was too much. Looking back at Karen I noticed I wouldn't have to go on as she got the point.

"Oh my gosh Jack I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry Karen. I'm sure momma didn't mean she wants us to get married or anything. She just knew she didn't have…well she didn't have a lot of time left."

I noticed Karen didn't want to make eye contact with me. "So when I sang it in front of all those people at the church. It made your daddy want to take you home?"

"No Karen, he was going to do that anyways. Your song just reminded him of when momma sang it to him. It's not your fault I'm leaving."

"But I want you to stay."

I hung my head. Honestly I didn't want to leave either. I'd give anything to stay on the island. But I knew that wasn't fair. I couldn't leave dad alone after mom died, it wouldn't be right.

My hesitation passed as I reached over to Karen and hugged her. She meant a lot to me, and it hurt to see her so upset about me leaving. It made me feel even worse knowing no matter what choice I made someone I cared about would be hurt.

We sat there awhile not really paying attention to those around us. It wasn't until I heard dad cough that I realized there were others watching us. I quickly broke the hug and scooted away from Karen. Both dad and Pappy laughed.

"Karen I don't want you to think I'm taking Jack away from you. Amanda would have wanted Jack to stay with his dad. I promise I'll bring him to visit when I can."

Karen thought about my dad's offer and then she looked at me. "Do you promise to come back Jack?"

I didn't hesitate. "I promise Karen."

That night I didn't sleep well. Karen had left soon after our talk. She promised me she'd see me off at the dock, and she kept her word.

Early in the morning me, dad, and Pappy made our way down to the dock. The sun was just starting to come up and the dew was still frosted on the grass. It was cold and even my jacket wasn't keeping me especially warm. Karen was waiting at the fork in the road by herself. She smiled when she saw me.

All I was carrying was my backpack. Karen surprised me when she walked next to me and wrapped my hand with hers. I didn't stop her though. It was nice to spend our last moments together like this.

We didn't talk all the way down to the dock, just holding each other's hand was enough. When we loaded our stuff on the boat Pappy decided to come with us to help get the stuff to the house and he'd be back later that evening. He and dad both went below deck on the boat. It was larger than the one I had arrived on. I faced Karen and tried to figure out what to say to her, but I couldn't find the words.

It didn't matter though. Karen found a solution. She folded her arms behind her back and leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. Of all the surprises she had put me though this one took the cake. It wasn't a long kiss, but it was definitely my first. When it was over there was a blush on her face, but I could tell she had dug deep for the courage for the kiss, and there was more.

"I love you Jack."

Luckily I found my tongue. "I love you too Karen."

"Come back soon."

I hugged her. "I will."

I don't know why, but after that she ran off, back towards her house. I got on the boat, thankful Pappy and Dad both didn't see the kiss. Zack didn't either as he was busy getting the boat ready to launch.

As we rode further out the island slowly disappeared from view.

_End Chapter 4_

* * *

I want to thank my BETA reader Libra1 for looking over this chapter for me, and giving you a more readable, and professional looking chapter.

Now I'd like to take a break and thank my reviewers thus far.

**JJBC – **I love writing longer chapters, gives ya'll more to read when I finally update. Glad you like it so far.

**Coon66 – **I'm trying to keep it pretty original but I have taken a lot of inspiration from other authors. I'm going to really change it up in the next chapter so stay tuned!

**Libra1 – **Thanks for your continued help with the story, and yes Mac and Cheese is the best, especially when your operating on a college budget.

**HM Fan xD – **I'm glad you like the story, keep reviewing!

**Paige C. – **Yeah the whole idea with the Harvest Goddess I'm sure had to do with the game being made in Japan instead of the US. A Christian church made much more sense to me.

**Timetodance – **I'm glad you think this story has promise to it. Don't worry, the progress may be slow, but I'm seeing this story through to the end.

**Gamerzgal – **I Tried to keep what you said in mind while I was writing this, let me know if it improved.


	6. Chapter 5: I'm Home

**Chapter 5**

_I'm Home_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

I rubbed my hand along the old boats wooden benches. It was the same boat I had rode on nearly fifteen years ago, or at least it must have been by the look of it. The captain of the boat was huge muscle wise, not a drop of fat on him. I remember being scared out of my wits when he picked me up at the dock, but the second he made eye contact he recognized me as Jake's grandson and helped me get my bag to the boat.

_"Pappy…"_ I wished I were returning to Flowerbud Isle under better circumstances, however it seemed the only thing that made me come back was my grandfather's funeral.

So many bad memories filled that island for me, all of them having to do with my mother. I did remember some fun times though. I also remember a close childhood friend, but I couldn't manage to place the name or the face in my mind.

As the island came into view I could see the old dock and boat house sitting on the small beach. When the Captain, I think he said his name was Zack, pulled the boat up to the dock I saw an odd looking short man with a tall red hat waiting. Zack got off the boat and whispered something to the man.

The short guy smiled and walked up to me extending his hand, which I shook.

"Welcome back to Flowerbud Jack. I barely recognize you, you've grown so much since you left."

"Um…thanks."

A moment of awkward silence filled the air as the man looked like he was waiting for me to say something, then I guess he gave up as he handed me my bag. "We've taken care of all the arrangements and Jake's house is cleaned up for you."

"Thanks…umm."

"Is there a problem?"

I was embarrassed, but I saw no way around it other then to just tell him. "Well I've forgotten where Pappy's place is. Can you show me?"

The mayor scratched the back of his head. "That explains it; of course I'll show you. By the way my name is Thomas, but most of the villagers call me Mr. Mayor."

We walked down a dirt path to a fork in the road. The mayor stopped in the center and faced me. Pointing down each path he explained which road led to town, the other leading to Pappy's, one led to the Vineyard and Mother's Hill, and the last ,which we had traveled, went to the beach and the Green ranch. I thanked him and wished him good day as I could see Pappy's house in the distance.

When I walked up on the house I noticed it had been kept up well.

_"Figures, Pappy would always work hard to keep things up."_

Opening the door the inside looked like a time capsule. I had a memory flashback of my younger self running to the kitchen table as my mother put a steaming bowl of mac and cheese on the table. There were still four chairs around the small table, and for some reason I remember all of them were almost always used.

I did a quick mental count on my fingers and made sure I wasn't crazy. It was me, mom, and Pappy.

_"Why did I think there were always four at supper?"_

I put the thought off till later and carried my bag into what I remembered as my old room. When I opened the door I was surprised to see Pappy still had two beds in the room. There were some things packed into the corner for storage, but the room itself was amazingly well kept. I placed my bag on the bed and laid on top of the covers.

The funeral wasn't until tomorrow, and I was tired. Slowly I shut my eyes deciding to grab a quick afternoon nap, and then possibly venture out into the village for supper.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

"Ann I think you've had enough."

"Yeesh Karen…when'd you get a twin…hic…"

I looked down at my friend who was basically sprawled over the table, drooling from her mouth. I grabbed her cup and wiped up the spilt drink. Placing the tray at the bar for Duke I took a seat next to my best friend.

"Ann, why'd you get like this?"

She stared down at the table; a sober expression now covered her face. "I miss him."

I knew who she was talking about. Losing Pappy hurt the entire village. "I miss him too."

We sat there for a few minutes before I gave into my vanity. "Duke grab me a zombie, I'm going to join my friend tonight."

Duke smiled and made up the drink I ordered. I was known around town for putting wine away, but since my friend was already totally off her face I needed something stronger to catch up with.

"Here you go Karen, on the house."

"Thanks Duke." He placed the drink in front of me and a split second later I started downing the magic liquid. Duke was quite possibly the best bartender around. He could always sneak just a little bit more liquor into the drink without you tasting it. It made for a livelier atmosphere around the bar.

Finishing I'd admit I was buzzing pretty well, but as usual I ordered a second serving. Duke already had it made up and took my empty cup and replaced it with a full one.

I was in the middle of my third cup when I heard Zack's voice enter the bar. Looking to my left I saw Ann had already passed out, I wasn't too concerned though as I was fighting off sleep as well.

I could still make out some of what Zack and Duke were talking about. They mentioned Pappy's passing, and then something about an old face being in town for the funeral. They could have said the person's name and I still wouldn't have made the connection.

No longer able to reach my drink since my arms decided they'd rather lay limp on the table I just sat with my head on the table propped up on its side listening as best I could before I went to sleep.

Zack was plastered, and I was almost out when someone else walked into the bar. Duke didn't recognize him, but Zack threw his arm around him and must have identified him because Duke laughed and made him up a drink and started talking to him.

The last thing I heard before I passed out was a name I hadn't heard in ages. "Well I'm glad you could make it back Jack, I'm sorry about your grandfather."

Had I been a little more sober I would have been able to remember that moment, but I wasn't. I blacked out.

The morning light pierced my eyes and I quickly shielded them with my hand. Turning over I covered my face in my pillow.

_"Wait…pillow?"_

Jolting awake I cursed as a splitting headache quickly reminded me I had been drunk last night.

_"Someone must have gotten me home."_

Looking at my clock I nearly screamed. It was already twelve thirty and I still had to get ready for the funeral, which was going to start in half an hour.

Sure you guys might think that was plenty of time to get ready and make the five minute walk to the church, but us girls have more to do then just shower and change. I'll admit I'm not a girly-girl, and I've been called a tom boy since I was little, but I did take a little pride in my appearance. I quickly jumped in the shower and plugged my straighter in so it could warm up. It was the fastest shower of my life and only took about ten minutes. I blow dried my hair and tied it up in a towel. Quickly putting on some basic make up for the funeral, I then grabbed the straighter and went to work.

I spared a glance at my bedroom clock and rushed when I saw I had fifteen minutes left. I grabbed the black dress out of my closet that my mother had picked up a couple days ago. Quickly putting it on and checking in the mirror to see I had everything right I rushed downstairs.

Of course my mom was waiting for me, and my dad as he had been for the past couple years was passed out on the couch with a bottle of whiskey in his hands.

_"Useless" _I muttered to myself.

"Karen we've got to get going. Here take this." She handed me two Tylenol and a glass of water.

"How'd you know?" I quickly downed the pills with a drink of water and followed her out the door.

"A young man brought you back from the bar last night. You had passed out."

Looking at her face it was strange. Usually she got this whole disappointed look about her whenever I dragged myself through the door drunk, and I'd get a lecture in the morning. Something was up. I silently prayed Grey hadn't brought me home. That would start a bunch of rumors of us getting back together going.

"Mom, who brought me back?"

"Jack did."

_"Jack?"_ The name quickly rang an alarm in my head. _"I know him, somehow."_

"Who's Jack mom?"

"You mean you don't remember him? He was Jake's grandson; you both got along so well the few years he was here."

That's all it took. Memories rushed back into my head of when I was younger. It was so hard to remember everything. I had only been nine, and I was now a much older 24. I remembered flashes the Christmas pageant, the hospital, his mother's funeral, his dad taking him, and I blushed when I remembered the kiss, and our confession, but a bitter memory reminded me why I had pushed him to the back of my mind.

_"Do you promise to come back Jack?"_

_"I promise Karen."_

I know we were only nine years old when we said that, but it still hurt so much when he never even sent as much as a letter back. I had no way to contact him; even Pappy hadn't heard much from him. I remember the last I had heard he got into a good college and was studying to be an Engineer. That had to be over six years ago, Pappy had brought it up one night at the bar, and most likely I had been drunk then too.

By the time I was done thinking I realized we were already at the church. I kept my eyes away from the open casket. I didn't want my last memory of Pappy to be him in a coffin. Instead I tried to spot Jack. His face was foggy in my memory. I hated myself for not getting to the church earlier when the villagers would be shaking his hand and expressing their condolences.

Being late we were seated in the back and I did my best to weed him out by recognizing everyone else, but as with all special occasions everyone was dressed in their best and their hair styled, gelled, brushed, ect.

I saw one young looking man sitting with Ann and her father. That must be Grey so I marked that one off the list. The next one had to be Harris because I saw him looking over in Mary's direction. That left the young brown haired man in the front. He was sitting next to the mayor so that all but confirmed it.

It bugged me that I couldn't see his face. Instead I tried to focus on the funeral. It wouldn't be long before he had to come forward with some words.

As if on cue, "Jack could you address the villagers with your memories of your grandfather."

The man I had identified as Jack sat motionless. Instead the one who had been looking at Mary stood. I noticed he took a glance around the church when he stood, like he was looking for someone. When he took the stage I nearly gasped. He hadn't changed at all; the memories of him sharpened in my mind, it also made my anger grow. I remember his promise at the dock. I remembered how I cried that year when I heard from Pappy he wouldn't be returning that summer, and I remember the pain it caused Pappy when his grandson never came back.

"I wish I had more memories of my grandfather." I was quickly thrown out of my day dream and focused on Jack's speech. "I wish I had been able to come back here, and get to know him as well as you all did." I snorted, he was a horrible liar. "My father couldn't come back because of work. He entered me in a year round school to keep me in the city. I never even got to spend another Christmas with Pappy."

I wanted to jump up on the stage and strangle him. He's trying to make us feel sorry for him? He's not even thinking how hurt his grandfather was.

"I had many wonderful memories of my time here when I was young. However it was so long ago all those memories had nearly faded away. When I got here I didn't even know how to find my grandfather's house. Without pictures of him my mom had I would have even forgotten what he looked like, but don't think I didn't love my grandfather, because I did. Pappy I'll miss you."

Everyone in the church looked like they had fallen for it, but I was damn sure I didn't. His bullshit speech almost made me blow my top. Ann had come over to sit with me by now. She must have seen how angry I was getting because she grabbed my hand.

Some how I managed to find the strength to retain my temper. The mayor went up on the stage with a piece of paper in his hand.

"I will now read Jake's will."

The mayor cleared his throat and unfolded the piece of paper. "Hello everyone, I'm sorry I'm not sitting with you all in the church right now. I prefer to lie down." A chuckle came from the audience. My anger turned to sadness when Pappy's personality came through in the letter. "I want to thank you all for coming and you especially Jack." I saw Jack jump when his name was read. Serves him right. "My livestock are to be left to Mr. Green. To Duke my beer mug, to Zack I leave my fishing rod and bait, to the doctor I leave my books, to young Mary I leave my bible, to young Ann I leave my sheepskin blanket, to young Popuri I leave my special box of flower seeds, to young Elli I leave my late wife's cookbook, and to my special Karen I leave the last bottle of "Heaven's Gate" to you." I felt a tear drop down my face, but I wasn't going to be sad long. "And lastly to Jack, I leave my entire farm. Take care of it."

I was fuming. It took every last ounce of strength in me to keep in my seat. That and of course Ann had quickly gotten a death grip on my arm. I was thankful the mayor dismissed everyone and I quickly left.

At first I wanted to go over to Jack and just blow up in his face, but not only would that make me look ridiculous over a promise we made when we were nine it'd be entirely disrespectful at Pappy's funeral.

_"Just wait Jack, you'll be seeing me soon. And you're going to get a mouth full."_

I wasn't sure what made me really angry at him. I kept telling myself it was because he never came back to visit Pappy. It couldn't be because I never saw him.

* * *

**Jack's POV**

I had been looking around for Karen when the Mayor had called me up. It didn't really hit me Pappy was really dead until I saw the open casket.

It hurt looking at my grandfather. I had to keep my eyes off him the entire time I was making the speech, which was really hard since he was right in front of the podium.

What hurt the most was the last time I got to see my grandfather he was dead. In fact I never really even sent as much as a letter to him. Dad always acted paranoid that if we went back to Flowerbud I'd find a way to stay. I'd give him that's reasonable after I turned 18, but it would have been nice to come back to visit when I was still young. I could have thrown a temper tantrum when he told me it was time to go, but there'd be no way I could force him to leave me.

I sighed as I left the church, shaking countless hands of people who knew my grandfather a million times better than I did. Another thing I had to think about was the farm.

_"Why would he leave it to me?"_

Just as I was about to get outside the Mayor stopped me.

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"I'm really sorry for your loss. Here, Jake wanted you to have this letter."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Also the men around here are getting together at the bar together tonight to celebrate a happy passing. We've all chipped in to buy you a few rounds."

"I'll be sure to come then, thank you."

Another handshake and wave and I was off for Pappy's house. So many thoughts we're going through my mind. Most of them started last night.

I had seen Karen, but didn't recognize her. It wasn't until she had passed out and the bartender asked me to take her home that I put it all together. It also helped that Duke pointed out she was inseparable from me when I was younger.

She was stunningly beautiful. I remember carrying her home and staring at her face. Sure it made me trip a few times since I wasn't watching were I was going, but it was worth it. I was hoping she'd see me after the funeral, but she didn't look too happy. I prayed it was just a hangover.

Arriving at the fork in the road I wondered about visiting her, but thought better. Hangover or not she wouldn't want to see me today.

Instead I opened the letter and started down the path to Pappy's house. The letters content was extremely simple.

_"Jack there's a locked hope chest under my bed. The combination is 24R-17L-12R. Be sure to look at everything in there before you go to the bar tonight."_

I was shocked my grandfather knew my plans for that night, but I shook it off figuring it was a tradition around here and he must have known it would happen.

Entering the house I saw I had around seven hours to do anything so I put on some water to boil and then entered Pappy's room. Sure enough under his bed was a large hope chest. I entered the combination he gave me and with a quick tug the lock opened.

Inside were two leather bound books and a newer looking photo album. Opening one of the books I saw it was Pappy's diary, the other was a book that contained some history of the island, how to farm, and other assorted notes. Opening the photo album I was astounded.

There were tons of photos. Some starting from way before I was born. Some even had my grandmother in them. It started with a photo from Pappy's wedding, then my mom's birth. There were several other pictures with town people I didn't recognize. Then at the middle the pictures started of my arrival at the island. There was a picture of my mom holding me in front of the fireplace smiling, then another with Karen giving me a hug in front of the Christmas tree. There were countless others. Luckily Pappy had written descriptions with the date under each picture.

I heard the kettle hiss and I quickly got up. I put some tea bags in and whipped up a pitcher of iced tea. Getting myself a glass I left the rest in the fridge and walked back into Pappy's room. I opened his diary and read a few of the earlier entries. It was pretty fun. He had written down how anxious he was about my grandmother. He wrote,_ "I met her again today. We had the most wonderful time. I took her to Duke's place for a romantic dinner. I knew that man was my best friend for a reason; he had closed the place down for the night just for me and Megan. Afterwards we went for a walk on the beach. I had to give her my jacket as she got cold rather easily with the wind. I remember feeling her warmth as she grabbed onto my arm and held on tight. I felt like I could do anything…but now I'm worrying. It's been over a week and I can't find her anywhere. One of her friends told me she was out with a farm hand at the Green ranch, an ex-boyfriend of hers. I feel like there's nothing I can do. I love her, but does she love me?"_

I never knew my grandfather to have such deep thoughts. The entry continued, _"I feel lost. All I can think about is her. This other guy she's visiting has me worried too. I can't let the jealously overcome me, but I can't stop thinking about her."_

I continued to read through it. The passages had sad stories, and happy stories. Mainly when Pappy saw grandma the entry was filled with the wonderful times he had with her. Other's when he lost contact with grandmother were much more sorrowful. Then I came across one that had been doggy eared as if it were a favorite passage. _"Today I've decided to put everything on the line. I've grown tired of living one day in total bliss and the next wondering what I had done wrong. I asked the shipper to pick me up something in the city. It's a wedding ring. Tonight I'm going to take Megan out and ask her to marry me. I'm so nervous I don't know what to say to her. The only thing that's allowing me to ask her is my determination to finally know where I stand with her."_

There was a gap and then the time _"11:50 PM" _was written in. A short simple sentence was all there was accompanied by a spot of candle wax. _"She said yes."_

I smiled and closed the journal saving the rest of the passages for another night. Pappy had indeed left me a great gift. I had just learned more about my grandfather than I had known my entire life. I was still sad I had to learn about him from a book instead of him telling me about his memories, but it's better than nothing.

I then remembered I hadn't reached the end of the photo album yet. Flipping through a few more pages revealed more pictures of the Christmas pageant, and some photos of my mother's funeral. The last picture was what really hit me. Pappy had taken a candid shot of me talking to Karen the day I left. Her eyes we're puffy and my face was bright red.

_"From the kiss…"_

The memory quickly resurfaced in my mind. I remembered her trying to keep her composure as she asked. _"Do you promise to come back Jack?"_

I remember my reply, _"I promise Karen."_

Could she be angry over that? I know I never came back, but I had told everyone the reasons behind that. Did she believe me?

I glanced at my watch and was surprised to see it was already 8PM. I put the photo album down and decided to get ready to go to the bar.

I didn't even get to my duffle bag before there was a hard knock at the door. I went to answer it and was very surprised at who it was.

If I was wondering what Karen thought of me earlier, I was going to find out.

* * *

_End Chapter 5_

_First off I want to thank my BETA Libra1 for looking over this and her advice, it really keeps this story going. Secondly I want to thank all my reviewers its always encouraging to see people enjoy what I write._

_Believe it or not I already have Chapter 6 about half way done. Once I get by my exam Tuesday I hope to finish it before I have my 21__st__ birthday this coming Saturday (believe me I'll be wayyyy to drunk to write). Please review, I'll be thanking my reviewers one by one in the next chapter! Also remember to check out my message board. You don't have to sign up to read my blog which contains nearly daily updates on all my stories progress including this one! For those that do sign up you'll get to see what music I use to inspire me to write my stories, director's cut versions of chapters, original stories not published on and even news on a new mini series I'm working on for YouTube! Best of all its free so what are you waiting for? Just go to my profile and click my website link it'll take you right to it!_


	7. Chapter 6: Burning Bridges

**Chapter 6**

_Burning Bridges_

* * *

**Karen's POV**

When I saw him standing in the doorway my anger turned into rage. It felt so wrong seeing him in Pappy's house. I guess somehow in my mind I had figured Jack never coming back had killed Pappy. It's not completely untrue though. Pappy was never as happy as he was when Jack and his mom were around.

"So it looks like you've made yourself comfortable." I poured every ounce of sarcasm I could muster. It worked too because Jack's face changed from surprised to disappointment. It made me wonder if Ann had come by already and told him I was pissed at him.

"I'm only staying a few days."

"That figures. Just show up when he's dead, use his house, and then scram."

I noticed he got a little pissed at that last statement. Sure it was a low blow telling him he's just here to use his dead grandfather's house, but it made me feel better to know he was getting angry.

"I explained to everyone at the funeral why…"

I didn't give him time to finish. "Yeah you feed them a load of bullshit, but you don't have me fooled Jack Harvest! I know you don't really care about what he built up, you don't care how everyone in the village depends on this farm, and you damn sure don't care about m…the dog." In my anger I almost slipped up and mentioned myself.

"Karen I was nine when I came here. My mother died here, my father came and took me home. How was I supposed to get back here when my dad never wanted to come?"

"Stop being such a pussy, it's pathetic. Why didn't you come when you turned 18? You could have seen Pappy, the village, everything."

"You're acting like I could do whatever I wanted to when I turned 18. I didn't want my dad upset. I didn't want my other grandparents to lose me. I had school, college, even grad school. I don't have the freedom you have over here to do what I want."

Now I was really mad. So he thinks this island is just a bunch of lazy bums on a permanent vacation. "So you think life here is so easy huh? Why don't you find out just how much harder it is here?"

"What are you talking about?"

"This farm moron; Pappy left it to you. Work it!"

"I have no idea how to farm."

"So you learn. Pappy came here with the original villagers. He had no farming experience and he pulled it off."

He thought about it for a second. "What do I get out of it if I win?"

"You prove a point."

"I need more incentive then that."

Knowing men I knew what he was asking for, and there was no way in hell I'd sleep with him.

"What do you want?"

"Forgiveness." That hit me like a ton of bricks. My anger subsided and I had to keep myself from smiling.

"Why do you want that?"

"I don't want to have you angry with me."

I got very confused. I knew what he was heading towards. Mending our problems and moving on. My brain must have gone into a self defense mode. "Whatever. It won't matter anyways. You'll never get this place running like Pappy did."

"How long do I have?"

It was a good question. My heart kept telling me the longer I gave him the longer he'd be around. My temper told me less was better. So I settled on a compromise. "You have a year."

"And if I lose?"

"You turn the farm over to me." I would have no idea what to do on the farm either, but I wasn't going to admit that to Jack.

"Alright deal."

He held his hand out, but I didn't shake it. "It's a deal."

I noticed he was dressed up as I looked at his shirt, pants, and shoes. He must have seen my eyes drifting.

"I'm heading to the bar to celebrate a happy passing of my grandfather."

_"Great and I have to work tonight. This'll be awkward."_

"None of my business. I don't care."

Jack shrugged and bid me goodbye. I ran home to change; I knew I was probably going to be late. It didn't matter though. Duke was like a second father to me, scratch that he'd be the first father. My biological father is most likely putting away liquor like it was going to be banned tomorrow. I'll admit I'm a heavy drinker myself, but there's no way I'd get myself so drunk I passed out every night like he does. He's worthless, and because of his horrible habit we're basically broke and the vineyard hasn't put out a decent bottle of wine in years.

Running into my house I quickly went upstairs to my room and threw on my bar maid outfit. Actually it's more like my everyday clothes; white wife beater with a purple vest; jean shorts, boots, and high socks. Simple, but it's what everyone knew me for. I quickly ran out of the house towards the bar.

You might be asking if you had an alcoholic for a father, and you loved drinking, why be a bar maid? The truth is my grandmother was a bar maid. The job was the only connection I had to her. She used to sing and dance at the church. I've always wanted to be a dancer, and I could sing pretty well too. Being on this island though had a habit of killing your dreams, and making you make do with what you had.

I was glad I didn't run into Jack on the way in. The men of the village had showed up though and the bar was preparing for their drinking fest. I'll admit this was a much better way of sending someone off than a gloomy funeral. The men were chatting it up and laughing as I went around back of the bar to check in with Duke.

"It looks like we're going to have a big crowd tonight; you don't mind staying later do you?" Duke always wanted to look after me. He knew about my father's problem, and his temper. I didn't worry too much though. My father was worthless, but he'd never hurt me.

"I'm fine."

"Thanks Karen, I'll really need an extra hand tonight. Go wipe down the tables. I think the guys are going to be all over the place tonight."

I noticed Duke looked a little sad. I knew he and Pappy were pretty close and he probably missed him. "Would you like to drink with them Duke?"

I saw him smile for a second then frown. "That's impossible Karen; you can't do this on your own."

"It's alright Duke. Ann should be here soon, she'd help me out."

Duke smiled. "Well in that case maybe I will join them. You're bartender tonight then."

He turned to the men of the village and yelled out. "Guys I'm sending Jake off with all of you tonight." I handed him a mug of bear. "To a happy sending!"

"May his soul rest in heaven!" Was the proper response the villagers yelled.

Seeing Duke happy would have kept me in a good mood for most of the night, espically with Ann coming to help, but of course Jack had to walk in right at that moment. I cursed myself when I realized since I was the bartender I had to take his order and talk with him. I guess it was worth it to let Duke send off his best friend though.

Jack took a seat down towards the end of the bar. I sighed and walked over to him.

"What will it be?"

He looked surprised. "You work here?"

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing, it's just the last time I came in here you were passed out. I didn't think you worked here."

I felt my temper starting to swell up again, but I kept it in check. I didn't want to spoil the party. "It's none of your business. The villagers are paying for three of your drinks, got that three." I held up three fingers to make sure he understood. "After that it's your dollar. So what will it be?"

"Give me a rum runner."

I quickly made up the drink and gave it to him and walked off. Zack and Duke quickly flanked him and started talking about Pappy. I saw Ann walk in and went to ask for her help. This was going to be a difficult night.

* * *

**Jack's POV**

Well at least I know she really doesn't like me. Pappy was right, knowing where you really stand with someone helps you deal with the situation. It was strange to me though. I wasn't entirely sure why I forgot about her. Maybe it had to do with blocking out memories of my mothers' death. I did remember the song my mom gave her. Did mom see something I didn't? Whatever it was I'm sure it's not around anymore. The little girl I now remember from back then wasn't anything like the Karen I'm seeing now.

_"Time can change a person I guess." _Duke was chatting my ear off about my grandfather with Zack butting in every now and then with his own memories about my grandfather. I looked over at Karen who as chatting with Ann. She smiled and I turned around before she could catch me peaking. I knew if I wanted to find out more about Karen, Ann was the person to talk to. That was dangerous though, Ann was her friend, not mine. It could easily backfire on me and end up with Karen getting even more pissed at me for going behind her back.

"You know Jake fell so hard for this really pretty girl in the village named Megan." Duke's statement perked my interest since I had read Pappy's entry in his diary earlier.

"What was she like?"

Duke pointed to a photo framed behind the bar. "That's the only picture I have of them from back then. Jake got me to take it the night I closed this place down for them. I swear that boy tried everything he could think of to win her heart."

Looking at the picture I could easily pick out Pappy. He was like a younger version of me. My grandmother, whom I never met, was slightly taller than Pappy. She was slender, athletic looking almost. Her hair was cut shorter than most girls but it still came down past her neck in the back. The picture was black and white so I couldn't tell the color, but the shade of grey made it look like a dirty blonde. She was smiling as a nervous looking Pappy had slipped his arm around her waist. She looked like a fun person to talk to. Duke's earlier statement made me think of an obvious question.

"But he did in the end right?"

Duke laughed. "He won her heart the moment she saw him. Those two were just too stubborn though. She didn't want to give in, and he kept pushing. Finally she realized she did love him and they got hitched."

_"Sounds like a movie plot."_ I smiled knowing the journal must hold numerous other entries.

My train of thought got interrupted by duke slapping me on the back. "Drink up my boy. The more we drink the more we can talk about Jake. If you pass out I'll have Zack take you back right?"

"Of course Duke I'll carry him under one arm and you under the other!" As big as Zack was I was sure that was possible.

Duke leaned in chuckling. "Or would you rather me have Karen take you back?"

I tried to hide the embarrassment, but the alcohol was starting to make me a bit tipsy and a blush filled my face. Duke laughed. "I see I've hit the nail on the head."

"No it's nothing like that…things have just been getting complicated."

"How so?"

I explained to Duke about my encounter with Karen earlier and what I thought of it. Duke luckily for me was a power house when it came to alcohol and was able to understand everything I said. Emptying my drink I placed the empty cup down. Duke noticed and motioned for Karen to make me another. She quickly responded and left just as fast.

Duke frowned. "I see what you're talking about. Maybe I should let you in a little on what Karen's gone through since you left."

Duke made sure Karen was distracted and motioned for Duke to come closer to him. Whispering something in the huge man's ear, Zack nodded and went over to join the villagers talking with Ann and Karen.

"She used to be such a happy girl you know? She was very caring, and always worried about others. She missed you too Jack."

I had figured that much, but I let Duke continue. "Somewhere around a few years after you left the Vineyard her family runs started to go under. The grapes weren't growing as ripe as they used to, and the wine had completely lost its sweet taste." Duke looked down at his glass and tried to balance it on its handle. "I blame myself for the next part. Her father got stressed with the vineyard not bringing in enough money, and bills piling up. He started to come into the bar to relax at first, but it quickly got worse. He started coming in every night and getting so trashed I'd have to call Zack over to get him home. Finally I cut him off for good, but that didn't stop him. He's got a shipment of liquor coming in nearly every week. Half gallons of cheap whiskey by the box."

I was surprised. The girl I remembered had a loving family, and always had a reason to have a smile on her face. Duke wasn't finished though.

"The next summer after you left she was only ten. I remember word got out that a letter came for Pappy from the city. Karen was so excited because she knew it had to be from you. She ran over to his house that night to find out when you'd be coming." Duke looked down at his glass again. "She ran back home crying when she found out you wouldn't be coming back. Your father made it pretty clear you wouldn't ever be coming back here. No one could even get her to come out of her room for days."

I felt bad about it hearing how I had affected her. Looking down at my glass it was empty and I could tell I was pretty drunk. I didn't notice Duke motion Karen to come over with another drink. Next thing I knew I was staring into the angry eyes of Karen Mills. "You're drunk off your ass aren't you?"

Any sympathy I felt towards her quickly vanished. "Itsssss non of yous business."

She rolled her eyes and placed the full drink in front of me. Duke patted me on the back. "Don't worry my boy drink up! If you pass out Zack will get you home, right Zack?"

"Hell Ya!" The muscle bound man yelled from across the bar.

I smiled and started to sip on the drink as Duke continued his story. "Karen hit some pretty hard times, I don't know too much about it all, but I know she had some relationship problems. When she turned 18 she started coming in here almost every night to drink. I eventually gave her a job to keep her off the bottle and let me keep an eye on her. I'd still let her drink after everyone had finished placing orders." Duke started to sulk. "I know she's basically an alcoholic, but I also knew if I turned her away she'd just end up like her father. Sneaking liquor in and drinking herself to sleep alone. I guess at least this way I can watch her, Jake would want that."

Somehow despite how drunk I was I was still able to make sense of what Duke was saying. Looking around the bar I spotted Karen's red-headed friend Ann wiping down one of the tables. I thought about talking to her, but when I tried to rise off the stool I noticed I couldn't keep my balance any more so I quickly sat down.

This was going to be a long night. At least that's what I thought. All I remember is everything going black right about then.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

It was nice to see a morning without a hangover for once. Yea I'll admit I do drink a lot, but last night I just didn't feel like it.

I dragged myself out of bed. I'm sure you can tell I'm not a morning person. Moving to the bathroom I started the task of straightening myself out. While combing my hair I tried to understand what I was going through yesterday. Yes I still hate Jack Harvest, that wasn't a question on my mind. Why I hated him was a bit of a puzzle, but I didn't feel like going over that this early in the morning.

To be honest I was almost thankful Jack showed up. It was easier to focus on him and get angry at him then it was to face my memories about Pappy. I hated looking weak in front of people, and that funeral would have been a hard place to hide it.

_"I miss him…"_

I remembered all the times I had with Pappy. How when I was little that summer I was ten he talked me out of staying in my room. _"Another thing to blame Jack for." _

I sighed. Yes there were happy memories I could think on, but I didn't want to. I didn't want to start my day off missing Pappy.

Looking in the mirror I was satisfied with the work I had done and quickly got dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, and of course my trademark boots. Walking downstairs I nearly tripped on the last step when I saw my father not only awake, but sitting at the table eating.

"Dad?"

A grunt was the only reply I got as I sat down. Mom brought over some food and joined us. I hated to say it, but it was akward having my dad there. I mean I couldn't really say _"Hey dad you're sober this morning, what's the occasion?"_ even though I was itching to know why.

I got my answer about half way through breakfast when he put his fork down.

"I've hired a farm hand to help with the Vineyard."

I nearly chocked on my bacon when I heard him say that. He couldn't have hired Jack, could he?

"He's coming in on the boat in an hour. He'll be staying here with us."

"A boy?" I couldn't help myself. Having an unrelated man living in the house was a little weird.

"Yes, a boy. He'll be living in the wine celler. Your mother's already set up a bed room in the top floor."

I was sort of angry my dad never told me about this. Then again I guess it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Breakfast continued without any big interruptions. As usual not much was said either. I dropped my dish in the sink and was just about to step out the door when my dad stopped me.

"Karen?"

"Yea?"

"I need you to come with me down to the dock to great our guest, your mother is going to finish getting everything ready here."

"Don't feel like it, got things to do."

I heard my dad walk up to me. "Look here Karen you're my daughter and you better damn start acting like it. Now you're coming down to the dock with me right now!"

Seeing the look in his eyes I decided it was best not to argue. My dad had never gotten physical with me, but I didn't want to push it.

* * *

**Jack's POV**

The first thing I noticed I was in my bed. That was a relief, but the headache was so damn painful. Standing up to grab a cup of coffee I felt something in my pocket. It was a note.

_'Zack helped you get home last night. Meet me at Mother's Hill at 1PM. –Ann'_

It was a little weird, but this was a nice break. I took a quick glance at me watch and was horrified at how late I had slept in. It was already 12:45 in the afternoon.

_"Shit!" _I ran out the door in the direction of Mother's Hill, ignoring the pounding headache.

I passed Karen walking with her father. She took the time to give me a cold stare as I ran by. I ignored it and took the path to Mother's Hill. Sure enough looking over the small pond was Ann. She smiled when she saw me.

"Glad you showed. I was afraid you wouldn't find the note."

I scratched the back of my head, a little embarrassed I had passed out the night before. "Umm yea. So what's this all about?"

Ann patted the rock next to her motioning for me to sit. I did. She sighed looking at her reflection. "You really don't know what's gone on here since you left do you?"

I kept my eyes on the water. "Duke filled me in on a little. Just about Karen's dad drinking all the time and how Karen's turning into an alcoholic."

"Not turning into one Jack, she is one. That's only a small part of the story though."

"Care to tell me the rest?"

Ann looked at me. Her cheerful smile had disappeared. "Only if you promise to tell me all what's gone on since you left. Karen deserves to know what you've been up to just as much as you deserve to know what's happened to her."

"Sure, that's a deal."

Ann laid down on the long rock and started her story.

"You see when you left Karen was actually happy. Not because you left mind you, it was because of what happened on the dock. She was so excited that you liked her and promised you'd come back to her; it was like the kind of stuff you hear about in stories. But when she heard from Pappy you wouldn't be coming back she was devastated. She locked herself in her room for four days. She just opened the door for food and never come out. I remember Pappy went to her house and was able to talk her out of her room, but she was never the same person. She hardly ever smiled or laughed; even if she did you could tell it was forced. The vineyard started to go into disrepair when the grapes weren't growing like before and soon her dad became an alcoholic. Karen became cold and distant always shouting at her father and getting into arguments. She turned into this really tough person. I could tell she was trying though. When she turned 16 her parents didn't throw her a party so Pappy and Duke put something together. My brother Grey had a crush on her for a little over a year and gave her a really nice present. She tried to open up to him, and they even dated for a few years, but then things took a turn for the worse."

I noticed Ann didn't sound like she wanted to continue. She pushed herself though. "It was her 18th birthday, that's the drinking age around here. We all took her out to the bar and like everyone on their 18th we got her so drunk she was ready to pass out, but she didn't. I remember we lost track of her and had to go looking for her. We found her on the dock staring out towards the city. She jumped in and started swimming. Grey went after her, but she had gone under. When we found her I could have sworn she was dead Jack." A tear fell down her face. "We rushed her to Dr. Tim's and he got her back to health, but she was never the same. I'd always find her drunk at night. It scared me sometimes, my brother too. They broke up and ever since she's been like a wild animal off its leash. She'll drink, raise hell, all kinds of things."

Ann got up and rocked back and forth a little balancing on the rock. "That's not to say there aren't good points to her. She's a wonderful singer and dancer. Me and her still go down to the beach at night. We still talk like best friends. We're still friends." She stopped and looked at me sternly. "Jack if you're going to try for her again, you've got to promise me you won't leave her."

I was pretty taken back. Here I hadn't even begun to sort out my feelings about Karen, heck I hadn't even been sure I had feelings for her. I sighed the internal struggle in my mind to complex to even start to sort out. "Ann I'm not even sure what I feel for her. I had completely forgotten her face, and her name over the years. All I know is the girl I'm remembering is not the girl I'm seeing."

I could tell she was starting to get angry. "Then look harder!"

"Huh?"

Ann flopped down onto the rock next to me. "After all you put her through did you honestly expect a warm welcome and just start over from where you left off? It's been 15 years Jack. I'm sure she didn't remember everything either, but as much as she talked about it even I remember the promise you made to her. Then you ran off."

"It's not like I had a choice."

Ann pointed her finger at me. "And it's those kinds of words that set her off. Pointing at your father and saying he wouldn't let you come back just makes her angrier. Karen's always hated people who don't take responsibility for their own actions; she got that from your grandfather Jack."

I half way smiled remembering my grandfather's ways. "Yea, she must have. What do I do?"

"You already promised to stay around and work the farm for a year right?"

"She told you?"

"Of course, it's not like there was much else to talk about while all you men we're getting drunk."

I didn't honestly know where to start though. Sure the bet was something I'd work at, but I had to do more if I wanted to at least get on Karen's good side. "It's going to take more than that though."

Ann nodded her head in agreement. "Of course it will. I know she's being cold to you Jack, but you've got to stay around her some everyday. The way she is now she's just waiting for something new to come along. If she starts running down the wrong road, I don't think she'd look back."

I laughed. "When's the last time something new came to this island?"

Ann smiled. "I guess you've got a point there. So now it's your turn. What have you been up to?"

"Well basically a normal life for a guy who lost his mom. Dad stayed around for a few months, but work started to pile up so he hired a nanny. I didn't get to see him much. I went to school, did well, and even played some baseball through my high school years. Went to North County State University and got a degree in engineering."

Ann was curious. "What about a girlfriend?"

I blushed. "Well while I was studying for my degree I met a girl named Caitlin, but that only lasted about 8 months or so. We're still friends though; took some engineering courses together. I went to grad school and got my masters in civil engineering. Was going to put it to use until I got called back here, and pop here I am."

Ann looked disappointed. "That was pretty bland."

I laughed. "Sorry my life is so disappointing."

Truthfully I was holding some things back, but I knew every word I said would get back to Karen, so I kept it short and sweet.

"But I'm curious, with that kind of degree why stay here?"

She was right. I could just sell the farm and get a good paying job with a firm in the city. For some reason though it just didn't seem to fit. "I don't know, I like it here."

Ann smiled. "What about your ex-girlfriend, what's she up to?"

I didn't know why Ann wanted to know so much about Caitlin. "She changed her major Freshmen year to Biology. Last I heard she started working with plants and stuff with some firm that does work for the state."

"Must be nice."

"Huh?"

Ann sighed. "I've never had a boyfriend. All the guys liked Karen, or Popuri, or even Elli."

"Being on this island must make it hard to get married."

"Well usually once you date someone you stay with them until you get married. Only a handful of women actually dated more than one man on the island before they got married."

"Things really are different here, but it's nice. Everything here moves at such a slower pace than things in the city."

"Yep. I'd never want to leave."

There was a long period of silence. "So what now?"

"Well since I want to help my friend, I need to help you."

"Huh?"

"I'm sure Karen would be happy with a guy like you. So I'm going to help you get on your feet with the farm. You win that bet and I'm sure she'll be yours."

My brain started arguing with itself over my feelings, but I just set it aside. May as well go along with it for now. "Thanks, that'll be a huge help."

She smiled. "Sure."

We stood and started walking down the path and once again ran into Karen's father. She wasn't with him this time though, thankfully. I don't know what would have happened if Karen saw me with Ann.

There was someone else though. A dark skinned man with a large satchel on his back. When he walked by I caught a whiff of a familiar smell. It was a musky sweet smell. I knew I had smelt it before, but I couldn't place it. The guy looked foreign, maybe South American. I don't know why but I didn't get a good vibe from him. When they passed I looked at Ann, she looked confused too.

"Someone new?"

"Yea…I've never seen him before."

"There's something about him that doesn't seem right."

Ann nodded. "You're right."

* * *

_Once again I thank Libra1 for checking over this chapter. The advice and help she gives on this story is invaluable. Work has slowed up on my other stories, but I guess that's good news for ya'll. I know I lost a lot of reviewers when I put this story on hold, but now that its started back up let your friends or fellow authors know about it if you think their interested. Libra1 and I both think the Jack & Karen movement has fallen from its former glory. I blame the new series that left the Mineral Town characters, but that's my opinion. Fellow Jack and Karen fans unite, let's bring these stories back!_

_Remember my profile has the link to my message board website for story progress updates, and special extras. Check it out, you've got nothing to lose._

_And now as promised personal thank yous._

**Libra1: **As stated before this story wouldn't be anywhere near what it is without your help. I hope we can stir up the Jack & Karen fans again!

**Klutz586: **Bacon cookies? Original, I might have to try one. Thanks for your praise reviewers like you motivate me to write more.

**Shippostail: **Well with my other stories back lagged I have no choice but to grant your wish. Speedy updates are in this stories future, so keep reading!

_All other reviewers have been thanked in chapter 4. Please review this story! The next chapter will also feature an individual thank you! To all those who haven't reviewed please do! Reviews motivate me to work harder on my stories!_


	8. Chapter 7: I'll Try Anything Once

**Chapter 7**

_I'll Try Everything Once_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

It had been about a week since Ann and I met up on Mother's Hill. She came over every day and helped me work the farm. The first couple of days were nothing but clearing the fields. It seemed like there were endless amounts of weeds, stumps, and rocks.

When we had finally cleared them all we went to the flower shop and she helped me pick out the correct seeds for the season we were in, which was around the beginning part of Spring. It had taken about half the day to get about four plots ready and the rest of the day to sow the seeds and water them. She had explained my first crop will be the key to my success and all I needed to worry about was keeping it watered every day.

Retiring for the night I went inside to grab some supper and look through the books Pappy had left me. While standing over the stove making some Sloppy Joe's up I thought about this place. The villagers hadn't changed at all. I met them all one by one as they came by to talk with me and pick up the things Pappy had left for them. Ann had taken the bottle of wine Pappy left for Karen to her. I wasn't really ready to face Karen again, not until I actually had something growing on my farm.

Sitting down at the table I chowed down on the delicious food. True it was sloppy, but nothing quite tasted as good as a Sloppy Joe after a hard days work; well maybe a bowl of mac and cheese, but I was out.

I had managed to keep tabs on Karen though, mainly though Ann. The other villagers were helpful too. Zack had told me about the new guy that had come to the village. His name was Kai. He was all the way from Columbia and seemed to be desperate for work. I was a little confused how a small place like Flowerbud Isle had reached the ears of workers in a far off place like Columbia, but I tried to not think on that too much. He was staying with Karen's family and helping out in the vineyard in exchange for food, room, and a small salary. One thing did bother me though, the smell I had caught on him when he walked by. Zack had said he didn't notice anything unusual about him.

The smell had reminded me about my college days. College was filled with a bunch of firsts for me. My first serious relationship, my first time on my own, and all the first mistakes I made. My 20th birthday I was so drunk I somehow had wandered over to Caitlin's dorm screaming her name. I had woken up in her bed, which I'm sure you can all guess is where another first had happened, though I couldn't remember it. I had hit a low point in my life when Caitlin and I broke up. She had decided to travel abroad and told me she didn't want to feel guilty leaving me, so we had decided to break up. I drank almost every night, I kept to myself, and I even started smoking pot.

_"Pot! That's it!"_

Like that I recalled the signature smell of marijuana. That was definitely what I had picked up when Kai had walked by. Now I was worried.

"Jack?"

Ann had snuck up on me. I jumped; embarrassed; then turned and greeted her.

"Oh hey, sorry about that, you caught me daydreaming."

She giggled a little. "Figures, you must be getting tired with all this work."

I mentally debated telling her about my discovery. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Karen myself, and if I tried to approach her about it I'd just push her away from me. Sighing I knew I had no choice.

"Ann, do you remember that smell we caught off Kai the first day we saw him?"

"Yea."

"You ever heard of a drug called marijuana?"

Ann got suspicious. "Of course they taught us about it in school. You're not thinking of trying to grow that are you?"

I held up my hands in defense. "Now I'd never do something like that. I did a little in college though." Ann got a surprised expression on her face. "I haven't done it in a long time Ann; it was a pretty low point in my life." Ann nodded and she looked like she relaxed some. "That smell that was on Kai was definitely marijuana. Zack said he didn't notice Kai doing anything suspicious on the boat and there's no way he'd be able to smoke it on Zack's boat without him noticing."

"So what are you saying?"

"I think he's got a pretty big amount with him, and with Karen being the way she is I'd like you to keep an eye on her."

Ann nodded in agreement. "I can't believe this luck. How am I supposed to know if she's doing anything?"

"Being high is completely different from being drunk. You'll be able to notice. Her eyes will probably get reddish, she'll say weird things, when she's sitting or trying to stand still she'll twitch. Stuff like that."

"Alright, well I guess I'll stop in and see her later tonight, bye Jack. Remember to water your crops."

"Thanks Ann, I will."

Walking out to my fields I was overjoyed to see there were small sprouts poking out from the ground. That was a really good sign, and it really raised my spirits. I remember Ann had told me I should start adding plant food to my water to boost their growth once they had sprung up.

Walking to the shed I grabbed the watering can and the plastic bottle of liquid plant food. Carefully adding the proper amount to the water I traveled back outside and started to water.

Somewhere right after I started my mind started to wander. Looking out over the fields memories started to flood back into my mind. Karen's younger self smiling as we ran around in the fields chasing each other in a game of tag. A tree in the distance caught my eye. Yes there were more than several trees around, but this one in particular caught my eye for some reason. The more I watered the sharper the memory became. Then it hit me. I saw myself and Karen digging near the base of the tree, and placing a tin box in the ground. I couldn't remember what we had put in but I had remembered what she had said.

_"Here we'll both put something in here that means a lot to us. When we grow up we'll dig it up and remember all the good times we had."_

It had been my first Christmas on Flowerbud Isle. I had wanted to go home for Christmas and visit my family, have the same Christmas as always. Start at my house, go to my Dad's parents, and then the whole family, minus Pappy of course, joined in a huge supper and stayed through most of the night celebrating. I had been depressed when I learned we couldn't make the trip.

As I replayed the memories in my head I finished watering and put the can down. Quickly running to the shed I grabbed a small gardening shovel and ran to the tree. As I dug I remembered Karen coming to the house and seeing me depressed. I laughed when I saw her trying to gather the villagers to mimic the large supper we had back home. She went through so much trouble to make sure every detail was right. Duke had opened the bar, my mom and most of the wives of the village had worked in the bar's kitchen to cook a huge Christmas feast. I had the most wonderful Christmas that year. It was all thanks to Karen.

Suddenly the small shovel struck something harder than dirt. I gently dug around the object and lifted it out of the ground. Sure enough it was the small box we had buried so many years ago, and it was still intact. Unfortunately so was the lock on the box. Pappy had given it to me, so yes it was very sturdy. I remembered Karen had kept the key since the box was near my house. She had said it was to keep me from opening it without her.

_"This is perfect." _If I could have smiled any bigger my mouth would have ripped. With my plants starting to grow I had something to show Karen for my work, and with this box I had something to show her from my heart.

As I looked at the field I could swear I could feel Pappy watching me.

_"So this is why you loved farming so much."_ I was true though. Just the simple act of watering crops allowed your mind to relax and thinking was that much easier. Something about doing simple monotonous tasks just put me so at ease. I had never had the time to do something like water a garden, cut grass, or anything else of the sort with busy city life.

Quickly putting up my tools and wrapping the box in some cloth I started out towards Karen's. I saw the new farm hand Kai tending to the grapes. He waved and I waved back, wanting to be friendly.

I was walking up the path to the door when Karen stepped out. She looked surprised. I quickly hid the box behind my back and walked up to her on her porch.

"What could you possibly want?"

"To talk?"

"We're not on good terms till you've gotten the farm going. You really want to waste the other 357 days you have left trying to be nice to me?"

I smiled. "You're keeping count."

She turned away from my indignantly. "Don't go getting your hopes up. I'm just counting down the days till I don't have to see your sorry face anymore."

"Well I did have some progress to show you. If not a friendly trip, maybe you could count it as just an inspection?"

She paused. "I guess it has been over a week since I last looked the farm over. May as well make sure you're not trashing the place."

"Is now alright?"

"I don't have anything better to do. Fine."

We started walking out when Kai came up to us. "Leaving Miss Karen?"

"Yes Kai just something work related."

"May I ask where?"

I could tell Karen was getting annoyed. "Did my Dad hire you to keep tabs on me?"

"Of course not Miss Karen, just trying to converse."

"Fine, fine. I'm making sure this moron doesn't ruin Pappy's farm. I'll be back shortly."

"Goodbye Miss Karen."

Karen waved him goodbye as she walked off. Not even bothering to turn around and look at him as she did.

"Not getting along?"

"I have a higher opinion of him than I do of you if that helps."

I sighed. I wasn't going to let her insults get to me though. With all she did in the past to help me I know I really hurt her.

"So what am I going to see?" I was caught off guard; she seemed to be making small talk.

"I planted some crops."

"Don't you mean Ann planted some crops?"

I was really surprised she knew about Ann helping me but she must have picked up on it. "What you think she'd actually keep something like that from me? Someone had to help you or you'd have no chance."

I knew asking why she didn't help me would just open a huge can of argument, so I kept my mouth shut. Instead I figured I'd keep her in suspense. "Well you'll see when we get there?"

"What are you five?"

"Just wait."

We came up on the farm and she looked a little surprised that the entire field was cleared. "I hope you didn't make Ann do all this."

"No, but she did help a lot. What I want to show you is over there." I pointed towards the four plots I had planted. She slowly walked over and stared down at them carefully. It took her about ten minutes to look over all four plots making varied comments about how it looked. Overall she seemed pleased.

"Pretty good job, not as good as Pappy of course, but good for your first time around. Probably because of Ann's help, but at least you have something to work with."

"I did learn something today though?"

"What's that?"

I was surprised she didn't try and insult me. "When I was watering the crops it let my mind wander. It was really relaxing, made me realize why Pappy does stuff like this."

"Uh huh, well I'm going to head back now."

"Wait!" I said that way louder than I meant to. With all the work I had put into this though I didn't want her to leave without me showing her the box.

"What is it?" Again she surprised me without insulting me.

"When my mind wandered I thought up some old memories. I saw that tree out there." I pointed to the one in question. "I remembered that I buried something out there…well we buried something there."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

I brought out the box from the sack I was carrying on my back and unfolded the cloth revealing the rusted lock box. "When we were little during my first Christmas I remembered how much trouble you went through to make it just like it was at home. Then I remembered how afterward we went out here and buried this box together. We put some special stuff in here, but I also recalled you kept the key, there's no way I can get this lock open without the key."

I handed the box to Karen. She looked shocked for a second as she brushed her hands across the top of the box. I thought I had done something good.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

_"Idiot!"_I screamed over and over again in my mind. I felt tears starting to work their way up to my eyes, but my mind and emotions were going so crazy I couldn't stand it. I quickly turned away from him and was careful to keep my voice firm.

"A lock box, what a fuck'n joke. Just keep your mind on this farm or you're going to be out of here on your ass so quick you won't know what hit you." I didn't give him a chance to respond as I ran off, with the lock box.

Kai had tried to say something to me, but I kept running. I ran through the door, past my parents, and into my room. I didn't want anyone to see me like this. I felt the tears run down my face as I looked at the lock box on the floor.

_"That idiot!"_

I couldn't grasp anything at the moment as I buried my face in my pillow and cried for a few minutes. I knew I hated Jack, but when he gave me that box it brought back so many fun memories of him. It made my emotions go completely crazy. I had really fallen for him when I was a kid. _"You were only six when you met him. You couldn't have known what love was back then."_ I kept telling myself over and over.

_"Whether you loved him or not he left, and he'll leave again."_

That's what hurt the most. It made the rest of it not matter. Settling my emotions somewhat I looked over the lockbox. The lock was just an old Masterlock, but it was sturdy. Looking at the box I remembered asking Pappy for a lock and he had given me and Jack a very good one.

It must have been hours as I paced back and forth trying to think where that key was. Finally I thought I had remembered. I dove into my nightstand and dug to the bottom of the drawer. There were lots of old things in it I had collected over the years. Old pictures, notes, snippets from magazines, even a picture of me and Grey when we were together. Then I felt something metallic. Getting excited I quickly grabbed the object and brought it out. It wasn't the key though, just an old piece of jewelry. Getting frustrated I pulled the entire drawer out to go through it, but still didn't find the key. I wasn't sure why I wanted to open that box so much, I kept telling myself it was just cursorily. Not finding it after I pulled everything out I replaced the stuff in the drawer and got ready to put it back when I noticed something in the drawers slot near the back. It was the key.

_"I had hidden it from myself."_ I remembered I had taken the key from Jack to keep him from digging up the box without me, and hidden the key from myself to keep me from doing the same.

Grabbing the key I ran over to the box and placed it inside. It turned, and after pulling on the lock a little it finally gave way. There were several different objects in the box, even some photographs.

Looking at some of the photos I knew Jack's mom must have taken them. There was a picture of Jack and I on the beach the first summer he came. There was another during the first snow. My favorite was of Thanksgiving. We had to dress up as pilgrims and I had my hands wrapped around Jack both of us looking ridiculous in our costumes.

My emotions started swirling again, but I kept going through the box. A neatly folded letter just simply said _'Karen's my best friend and I want her to always be with me.'_ I pulled out an identical piece of paper and opened it. Tears fell down my face when I read _'I love Jack, and I want to be with him always.' _We had written them in secret and put them in the box only to be read when we dug it up together. That's the main reason I had taken the key, I didn't want Jack to read that note.

There were a few other objects, but one in particular caught my eye. It looked like a ring, but it didn't shine or have a gold or silver luster to it. It was just a plain steel color. Then I remembered. It had belonged to Pappy, he had said something about how it was the first present he had given to Jack's grandmother. Cheap, but it held a lot of sentimental value. Jack and I had both wanted it when we found it one summer so Pappy decided a contest was the best way to solve the problem. Pappy took us to the beach. We had to run the length of the beach, touch the dock and then run back to Pappy. I had been a little disappointed it wasn't swimming since I loved the water, but I had agreed. I hadn't known Jack was such a good runner as he easily had beaten me. Pappy had given the ring to Jack, but Jack had seen how disappointed I was in myself. He walked up to me, grabbed my hand gently, and slid the ring onto my finger. It had been the first time Jack had done something like that to me, and it was when I knew I loved him, at least the childish kind of crush love…I think.

When I stopped day dreaming I realized I had put the ring on my finger. Lying on my floor I held my hand above my head and stared at how the ring looked on my finger.

_"I hate Jack, right?"_

_"You don't hate him; you hate how he left and never came back."_

My mind seemed to be in a debate with itself.

_"He'll do it again."_

_"You don't know that."_

_"Better safe than sorry then."_

_"Better to have loved and lost, than never loved at all."_

Sighing I sat back up. I couldn't just go do a 180 and start acting nice to the guy, but looking at the ring reminded me of all the little nice things he did for me. Picking my spirits up when I felt down, always being around to hang out with, and even when I'd do things like sing or dance in school plays he would say things to help me get over my nervousness.

_"Better take this thing off."_

I tried tugging on the ring, but it wouldn't come off. I ran to the bathroom and tried running cold water and hot water on my finger, nothing worked.

_"Shit!"_

I had to get the ring off. If Jack saw me around town with it on and recognized it he'd take it the wrong way, and I really didn't want to deal with that now.

_"How the hell did I even get this thing on?"_

"Karen dinners ready!" My mom called from downstairs.

"Coming!" Cursing inwardly I decided to just leave the ring on for now. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was still annoying. Every time I saw it, it'd make me think of Jack.

Kai was sitting at the table with my parents. I took my seat opposite of him and sat down to eat. My mother's best trait was her cooking skills and she always cooked large meals. It was still annoying though how silent everyone was at the dinner table. Looking at my father I was surprised he had a glass of water instead of some liquor.

Grabbing some food from the center of the table I also added a dinner roll to the pile and put some butter on it. When I was sure no one was looking I took a little bit of the butter and spread it around the finger with the stuck ring. Unfortunately it still didn't work. I quickly finished my dinner and excused myself from the table.

My emotions were still really messed up so I went outside to walk around the vineyard. Feeling the ring around my finger kept me from thinking straight. Everywhere I walked I just remembered memories from when Jack and I were younger. Playing hide and seek around the grape vines, getting locked in the wine cellar; long walks at night, all sorts of things.

I must have been gone awhile because when I came back round to the front of the house Kai was there. He saw me and started walking my way. I almost turned around to avoid him, but there was no point in it.

"Miss Karen?"

"Yea?"

"I noticed you were trying to get that ring off your finger at dinner, do you need help?"

"Its still on my finger isn't it?"

He seemed a little put out. "I'm sorry Kai, I've just had a tough day."

"Its alright Miss Karen, here follow me."

I was a little apprehensive following Kai to his room so late at night, but I trusted him enough not to do something stupid. The top of the wine cellar was his room, I had never been in it before. It was pretty simple, but my mom had done a good job of getting it set up. Kai opened a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Windex.

"Your father has me keep the outside of the house clean so I'm lucky I have a bottle of this lying around. Just spray it on your finger and you should be able to pull the ring off."

It sounded rediciouls, but I didn't have any other options. A quick spray and amazingly the ring slid right off. I put it my pocket and handed Kai back the bottle.

"Thanks."

"No problem. If you don't mind me asking what's got you so worked up."

I didn't want to be mean to him, but I didn't really know Kai well enough to talk about private matters like Jack. "I'm so stressed over it I haven't even begun to figure out what I'm stressing over." It was a small lie. I didn't know what my exact feelings were for Jack, so it wasn't completely untrue.

"Well I have something that might help with that as well."

I got nervous when Kai started digging in his bag. He pulled out a lighter, a wooden pipe and something that looked like tobacco.

"I don't smoke."

Kai smiled. "This isn't tobacco. It's what my people call cannabis. It makes you very relaxed."

I had paid attention in school and knew cannabis was just another name for weed. "I'm not sure, that stuff is illegal here."

Kai packed some of the weed into his pipe. "I'm not worried about it, it's not as bad as people make it out to be. It's not as bad for you as drinking so much you pass out."

I relented he had a point, but I was still apprehensive about trying this stuff. "I'm not sure. I don't know how I'll react to it."

"Just watch me and see what happens. I promise it doesn't do anything wild to you."

"Ok." Just watching wouldn't hurt me.

Kai put the pipe in his mouth and lit the bowl. He took a long hit before removing the pipe and then sucked in more air holding it for a minute or so. Then he exhaled. "Ah that feels good. Would you like to try Karen?"

He didn't seem to messes up, and I was curious. "Ok."

I took the pipe and lighter and copied what he had done. Nothing happened at first, but then I noticed things seemed different. It was fun just looking at things around the room. Kai motioned for me to take another hit and I did without even thinking. Things were really different now. I felt my lungs get icy for a few seconds and I had to sit down. I handed Kai back the pipe.

"Wow that's fun!" I quickly covered my mouth realizing I had almost screamed. Kai laughed and I couldn't stop myself from laughing with him.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Lots better, thanks so much Kai!" I went over to him and gave him a hug without even thinking.

"Easy there Karen, but thank you."

I smiled and waved good bye to him as I left. I felt so carefree I hadn't felt so relaxed in a long time. When I got drunk it would let me relax, but you always either end up forgetting the fun you have, throwing up, and waking up with an hangover. With this I was conscious of my decisions, but I was having fun no matter what I did.

I was about to walk into the town when I saw Ann walking up the path. I rushed over to my best friend and enveloped her in a hug. "Ann I was hoping to see you today!"

"Karen?"

"What's wrong?"

She looked like she was studying me for a second, and my heart started to race. Did she know I had smoked? "Ann?"

"Nothing, sorry. What have you been up to today?"

"Come with me to Mother's Hill and I'll tell you all about it."

* * *

**Jack's POV**

I was disappointed when Karen reacted the way she did. I was hoping she would at least say something nice about me when I gave it to her. She hadn't even smiled.

Sitting on the edge of Pappy's bed I reached down for the books he left me. I felt like I was out of options. If finding that old time capsule didn't get a good reaction out of her I wasn't sure what it would take.

Deciding it was better to just get my mind off the matter I opened the book I hadn't looked over. It contained a large amount of information on farming, but that wasn't what I was interested in at the time. Quickly flipping to the parts about the town I began to read.

_Flolwerbud Isle has just one town on it called Mineral Town as their used to be a mine filled with various minerals. This is what attracted people to the island in the first place. However the veins in the mines soon dried up, and the inhabitants were forced to look for other means to make money. One of the miners had been growing a garden and took notice that the crops grew much faster than usual and were larger and tastier than normal. People decided the soil on the island must be special so a few of the miners became farmers. I was one of those people. I was only 14 when I came to Flowerbud Isle in search of gold and silver and a year later I was tilling earth, and growing crops. Once things had settled down on the island only a handful of people remained. A few families started small business on the island. One man was elected mayor, another took over the responsibilities of the mail man and policeman. Another family with a boat started a trade route between the island and the city ,another started a livestock business, another practiced medicine and still another started a vineyard. I myself ended up being the only true farm on the Island."_

The book went more in depth as to the daily living and events on the island. However I came across a really interesting passage on the islands economy.

_"The only real sources of external money the island has is the vineyard and my farm. All the other business depend on us spending the money we make on their goods. I'm afraid for this island as if I pass away and the vineyard dries us the island will no longer have a source of income. It's a shame as beautiful a place as this island is. More than 80 of it hasn't even been touched. In fact on one of my trips around the island I found a completely uninhabited valley that had been abandoned when the miners left. If I could get more people to come down here we could open a few more farms and move some more modern conveniences onto the island."_

Looking in the journal a rough map was drawn to this valley area my grandfather talked about. Looking at my clock it was only around three in the afternoon, and since Karen had run off I had nothing else to do. I grabbed the book and went out in search of this valley.

I followed the map through the woods around Mother's Hill till I came to a path covered with brush and fallen trees. Pushing onward I arrived at a small clearing. Part of the stream from Mother's Hill flowed through the area and there were even several abandoned buildings . Walking around revealed some fenced in areas that were over grown with weeds and brush. A few buildings in the distance, and even something that looked half way like a barn. There was even a larger building further down into the valley that looked like a traveler's inn of some sorts. The biggest find however was soon to come.

As I pushed further into the woods I noticed part of the path had bricks marking it. I decided to follow them as they must lead to something important. Soon the brick pathway became brick stairs. When I got to the top I was astounded. Right in front of me was a huge, beautiful, stone mansion. A dried up fountain was in front of it. Looking up trees and overgrowth covered the building and blocked out the sky from above. It wasn't hard to think no one would know this was down here.

Carefully I opened the front door. Even though this entire small village seemed abandoned I didn't completely throw out the thought someone could still be living here. Luckily for me the mansion had many windows in it and the vines covering the building didn't completely block out the sunlight allowing just enough to seep in so I could see where I was going.

The house was indeed ornate, but it was much smaller than I thought. There were three rooms on the bottom floor and after ascending a very intricate staircase I found there were three rooms upstairs as well. There was a kitchen to the left on the bottom floor and I used some of the food stuffs I had carried with me to make a sandwich.

I then left the house and decided it was getting late so I made my way back to Pappy's house. After finding such a neat untouched area on the island I wondered why no one had found the place. Getting back into the village quickly answered my question. The entire time I had journeyed into the woods I had kept a careful eye on the map Pappy had given me. It didn't make sense to me, but for some reason it was very easy to get lost without the map. With the sun setting it made it very difficult to read the map, but eventually after countless tries and many hours I finally came across the home of the village's carpenters.

Letting out a huge sigh of relief I went down the familiar path to Pappy's house. However when I got there Ann was waiting for me outside the door. She looked troubled, and I knew something had gone wrong.

"Jack…I think you were right."

* * *

_End Chapter 7_

_As always the first thank you goes out to my faithful BETA Libra1 for her continued work on this story. Without her this wouldn't look half as good, or be updated at half the speed. _

_And next but certainly not least my readers, fans, and especially my reviewers; without you this wouldn't be half as fun!_

**Klutz586:**I haven't quite gotten the courage to bite into a bacon cookie, but seeing we've had four armed robberies in my apartment complex this month I'm glad I have something hard to throw if needed. Thank you for your continued support, it means a lot. As always I will continue to update as fast as possible, I promise ;)

**DoubleKK:**Yes the decline of Jack and Karen stories is a sad fate. It only seems natural though since the newer games have seemed to move towards the Forget Me Not Valley characters…in fact looking at other fan sites the games coming out completely ditch both lines of characters and start all over! Hopefully we'll see a revival! Sad attempt at romance? I'm a large fan of a lot of your work especially _Unshed Tears_ I'm just waiting for an update! I'm hoping you haven't abandoned it. Don't worry there's plenty of fluff to come along with a slew of other things you never saw coming!

**Janus-Wolf:**How great it is to have a new reviewer especially one that's been hiding! It seems you're pretty into the story. I encourage you and all my readers to join up on my message board (link provided in my profile under WEBSITE) to get nearly daily updates on writing progress, and behind the scenes look on the writings. A Promise Far Off song list is in progress once I finalize it which includes the reasons behind picking the songs and the scene it helped envision. As for Kai you got a glimpse as to why Jack got that vibe…just remember what Columbia is unfortunately associated with…Plan Columbia…cough cough…Google that hint, hint. Anyways enough for now thanks for the review hope for another with this chapter!

As for the rest of my reviewers and for those reading and who won't review PLEASE DO! Opinions are a very important thing and it helps to share them! I hope you all liked the way Forget Me Not Valley is being incorporated into this story, but don't go thinking I'm going to be planting those characters into the story…I have a grudge against them.

Check the message boards (That's my website's message boards not the one's provides) for writing updates if you're getting impatient. Otherwise look for another update within a few weeks!


	9. Chapter 8: The Demons That Haunt Us

**Chapter 8**

_The Demons That Haunt Us_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

When I heard Ann tell me something was wrong and saw her face I knew it had to do with Karen. I invited her in and set all my stuff down near the fireplace. Ann took a seat on the couch and I sat in Pappy's old arm chair.

"So what am I right about?"

Ann seemed a little nervous. "Well I went to visit Karen tonight like I said I would and she was acting funny."

"Funny?"

"Yea…we went up to Mother's Hill and she started talking on and on about her feelings and how messed up she felt since you've gotten here. Then she told me something about this lockbox and a ring that was in it. She seriously just went on and on about stuff."

"Why's that weird?"

"Well I'm her best friend on the island, but even I know she keeps most of the stuff like her feelings and such private, she never talks about that sort of stuff. Not even to me."

"Go on."

"Well when we went up on the Hill I remembered that list of things you told me to watch for to see if she was high, and well…Her eyes were sort of red, it was hard to tell at night. She was acting strange and I didn't smell a drop of alcohol on her. Then went we went to sit down on top of the hill she kept twitching like she couldn't sit still. She even seemed a little nervous like when she'd twitch and I'd look at her hard she'd turn away and try and straighten herself out."

"So you think she was high?"

"I'm certain she was high. When I was walking up the path I saw her come out of the wine cellar Kai is staying in. Oh Jack I don't like telling on her like this, but I don't know what to do."

I sighed. "It's alright Ann. At least we saw this coming, and we know where it's coming from."

"But what are we going to do?"

"There really isn't much we can do. She won't listen to me, and if you confront her about it she's just as likely to dismiss you. The best thing we can do is just watch her and make sure she doesn't do anything to rash. We don't want the rest of the villagers finding out she smokes."

"With the way gossip goes around here I don't know if she's got a chance. You just don't know Jack there isn't really anything better to do on this island than gossip."

I relented that must be a fact. With so little to do on this island everyone's life must be everyone else's business. If only there were something big to talk about now people would be so interested they wouldn't be snooping around.

_KNOCK…KNOCK…KNOCK_

I jumped. I wasn't expecting anyone this late in the evening.

"Could that be Karen?"

"No she went to sleep after we came down from the hill."

I went to answer the door. When I opened it I saw a young man lying on the ground. He had long brown hair and his clothing was torn in several places.

"Water please?"

I quickly ran to the kitchen and fetched him a glass. He took the glass and downed the liquid like his life depended on it, and judging by the way he looked that might not be far from the truth.

"Another, please."

I went to refill the glass and Ann helped the man inside. Handing him the glass I closed the door and returned to Pappy's armchair.

"So who are you?"

"I'm Cliff Miller. I came over here to visit my cousin."

Ann grew concerned. "Miller…are you Karen's cousin?"

"Yea that's her. Karen's my cousin. Uncle Gotz and Aunt Sasha are related to me too. I came here from the coast in a row boat but washed up on some beach I didn't recognize. I got lost in this abandoned town and followed that guy," he pointed towards me, "out of the woods. I tried to find my way around but ended up so thirsty I just knocked on the first door I came too."

Ann got confused. "Abandoned town?"

I sighed, the secret was out now. "Yea, Pappy had written about it in his journal. There's an old part of the town that was abandoned a long time ago when the miners left the island. There's a lot of old buildings and even a decent sized mansion out there."

Ann got excited. "Wow really?"

"Yea, I'm surprised ya'll didn't know about it. Don't ya'll go exploring the woods and stuff when you get board?"

"Of course we do, but we never saw anything like you're talking about."

"You're sure no one else in the village knows about it?"

Ann shook her head. "Nope something that big would have everyone talking. Pappy was the only one on the island that had lived here when it was a mining town. From what he used to tell us everyone else had died off or moved away. Everyone here is from the farming generation."

I smiled, now we had something everyone would want to talk about, and Karen's problem wouldn't even turn an ear.

"Alright, in that case here's what we do."

* * *

**Karen's POV**

I woke up feeling great. It was nice once again to wake up and not worry about a hangover. I got through my morning routine pretty quickly and walked down the stairs in my usual clothing. I was surprised to see dad at the table once again and a cup of water in front of him, he didn't have a nice expression on his face though. Kai was at the table too, and looked a little uncomfortable.

I sat down and started to fill my plate. My mom had once again made a large meal and her breakfast was always great. I laughed in my head thinking of what Jack must be eating while I was here eating like a queen.

"Karen?"

"Yea Dad?"

I noticed he paused for a little while trying to think of something to say. It was weird, usually he just lashed out with whatever on his mind.

"There was a strange smell coming from the wine cellar last night. I'm not sure what caused it but…" He looked at me sternly "…I want it clear I don't what to smell it again."

I felt my heart jump into my throat. For once my father had really disciplined me. Guess that's what he's like when he's sober. I noticed my mom didn't catch on, and figured my dad knew exactly what was going on, and just didn't want to clue my mom in on it.

"I'll make sure dad."

He went back to eating breakfast. I looked over at Kai who put a finger to his mouth telling me to keep quiet.

The rest of breakfast went quick enough. I picked up my plate and put it in the sink, and then went outside to vent.

_"I can't believe we got caught."_

I went over everything that happened last night. I had made sure no one was around when I went into the wine cellar with Kai, and by the time I had left I was sure my dad was at the bar.

It sucked too. I knew the stuff wasn't legal, but it sure made me feel better. It was like there were no problems in the world and everything was great. I laughed a lot, everything seemed funny. I even remembered Ann coming over and the long discussion we had on Mother's Hill…about Jack.

Reaching into my pocket I felt the ring. Part of me wanted to put it back on, it helped me remember times that were fun, instead of the problems I was facing now. I didn't want to talk to Kai yet, so instead I decided to pay our local inventor/blacksmith a visit to see if he could make the ring bigger.

The shack Rick worked in looked a little run down on the outside, but it was pretty clean on the inside. He was Popuri's older brother. I remember there was a big rumor flying around town when he moved into the old miners shack that he and Popuri had a big argument. Honestly I don't blame the guy from moving out, that air head girl gets on my nerves too.

Opening the door I saw him asleep at the counter.

"Rick?"

"Waa…huh?" He looked around and then put on his huge coke bottle glasses so he could see me. He was a huge nerd, but he always had some neat gadgets to mess around with.

"Oh hey Karen, what can I help you with?"

I took the old ring out of my pocket and placed it on the counter. "I need to get this enlarged a little, think you can pull it off?"

He picked up the ring and studied it for awhile. "Shouldn't be a problem, but let's size you first so we get it right." He took out a large key chain that had a bunch of iron rings attached to it. "Which finger you want it on?"

I pointed to my ring finger on my right hand. Rick smiled. "Still saving your left ring finger for someone special?"

"Hell Rick; probably be empty till the day I die. Just fit the ring."

Rick laughed and started shoving various rings onto my finger. That's one thing that made the guy bearable to me. He never really took what I said too seriously. I'd never consider dating him though in a million years, too nerdy for my taste. Although there is a rumor he's got a thing for Mary, better watch out Harris.

"There we go; looks like about a size seven. Now we just slip it onto this thing."

Rick pulled out some cone looking thing and dropped the ring onto it. It stopped on a line marked with a six on it.

"Ok give me a minute here." He took the ring into his back room and I heard the gas seeping from his blow torch. The guy loved playing with that thing. A few seconds later the torch was off, a few bangs with a hammer, hissing noise from what I guessed was the ring dipped in water to cool, and then I heard a harsh metal brush I guessed cleaning the ring off. When he brought it out I hardly recognized it. It was slightly thinner than before and it was shiny. Not like a silver ring or anything, but it looked new.

"Holy crap Rick, how'd you do that?"

"Well making it bigger thinned it out a little and I used a grinder to take off some surface rust and brighten it up a little. Try it on."

He handed me the ring and I slowly slipped it onto my finger making sure it wouldn't get stuck again. It fit perfectly, and as shiny as it was I was sure Jack wouldn't recognize it if I wore it.

"You have no idea how perfect this is." I laid about twenty gold on the desk for him, but he politely handed it back to me.

"I wasn't doing anything important anyways; just let people know how great I am."

I smiled. "I will, I'll be sure to tell Mary especially." That did it, he blushed so bad it was a dead on confirmation he had a crush on her.

"Yea, yea, get out of here before I change my mind."

I laughed and left thanking him as I went out the door. I slipped the ring back onto my finger and walked around looking at it. I nearly bumped into Kai while I wasn't watching where I was going.

"Miss Karen…"

I saw he was pretty worried. I grabbed his hand and led him to the beach quickly. The place calmed me down, and I knew I'd need a cold head for this discussion.

"So how'd it happen?"

Kai kept his eyes on the ocean. "When you left I saw you walk off with Ann and decided to turn in for the night. It wasn't an hour after you left your father came knocking at the door."

I kept concentrating on the waves hitting the beach. "Your father hadn't been drinking yet, and he told me he wanted me to come down to the bar with him, but then I could tell he caught a whiff of the smoke."

Kai looked a little scared as he continued. "He said he smelt something funny and said he had been walking around the vineyard and heard you come out. He didn't say anything specific, but he did warn me that I wasn't doing my job if the wine cellar smelt the way it did and if it happened again I'd be on a boat off the island."

This was pretty serious. I could tell Kai was pretty shaken up about it. I was able to think of an alternative though. "We'll there's tons of forest on this island I'm sure you could stash your stuff somewhere and smoke it out there."

"True."

I pulled my knees up to my chest. I knew the real reason my father made such a big deal over it, I was just afraid to tell Kai. But I figured I had to. "The only real reason my dad made such a fuss over it is probably because he knew I smoked it and got it from you. You don't have to let me…"

"No Miss Karen, if you ever want to enjoy it again please just ask. I've noticed you're under a lot of stress and you seemed to really relax last night."

I smiled; he seemed pretty genuine about being concerned over me. "Thanks. I did get a chance to relax last night. It really helped me out."

I saw Kai smile also and he leaned back to relax on the beach, but I noticed his eye caught something.

"Is that the same ring from this morning Miss Karen?"

"Just Karen, Kai. Yea it is I had a friend make it bigger and clean it up some."

"Is it from anyone special?"

That hit home. Even though it was Pappy's ring Jack had given it to me after he won it. Part of me said to just take the thing off and throw it in the ocean right there and then, but I couldn't bring myself to do that. Was I holding onto it because of Jack? Did I still love him? Damit there I went again now I started thinking whether I really actually loved him or not. This was getting complicated.

"Karen?"

Kai zapped me out of my day dream. "Jake, the old farmer that just died…it belonged to him."

I was sure to make it sound like I didn't want to talk about it any further. I didn't really lie, but I guess I didn't really tell the truth either. We sat there for a few minutes before Kai stood. "I need to go tend to my chores. I'll see you around Karen."

"Bye."

I sat on the beach and watched the waves come and go. Something about watching the ocean calmed me, and after the scene my father created at Breakfast I needed something to help me relax. Part of me wanted to run down Kai and go into the woods and smoke again, but I quickly figured on that being a bad idea; especially since my father was probably snooping around. Thinking about it if dad went to the bar, got drunk, and there were a lot of people around he could easily let it slip that he caught his daughter doing weed. Then everyone and their brother would be keeping an eye on me.

_"No, if he said anything about it it'd make him look bad too; I mean who wants people to know their daughter smokes pot?"_

My inner monologue soothed my fears, but destroyed my-self image. I flopped back and stared at the sky. "If only I lived in the city, this wouldn't be such a big deal." Talking to myself kind of helped. Watching the clouds pass in the sky along with the sound of the waves hitting the beach helped calm me down. The warmth from the sun felt great, I almost went to sleep.

"Karen?"

Hearing my best friend's voice I didn't jump up. "What's up Ann?"

"Look at what I found."

Groaning as I sat up I turned to see what Ann was making a big deal over. I was really surprised to see my cousin Cliff standing next to her. "Cliff?"

"Hey cousin, long time no see."

I ran over to him and hugged him. Cliff had come to town shortly after Jack had left and he visited nearly every summer until we both graduated high school. It had been years since I had seen him.

"What brings you to town? I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down there; I've actually been on the island for a few days now."

"Days?"

"Yea he washed up on the wrong beach in his row boat. The guys been on another part of the island for awhile, Jack took care of him last night. The guy looked like he was about to pass out from starvation."

Hearing Ann talk about Jack again brought my temper back sort of, but when I heard he had taken Cliff in and helped out it quickly subsided.

"What does she mean another part of the island?"

Cliff smiled. "That's the other big surprise. You see there's a whole other village in the woods. It's been abandoned for a long time now, but it used to be full of people when this place was all about mining. There's a really confusing path through the woods near Mother's Hill, but Jack found his way through it following one of his grandfather's maps. I followed him out. If it hadn't been for him I'd have been a goner. My boat hit some rocks on the way onto the beach so there was no other way out."

Now I almost felt bad for the way I had been treating Jack. I had to put an end to this now or my conscience was going to come back.

"You remember what we talked about last night right Karen?"

Of course my best friend quickly put me on the highway to guilt city on that one. Last night while I was completely high I had confessed to her I did have some sort of feelings for Jack, further I added I wondered if it was so easily to treat him so badly because I didn't want to accept my feelings for him. Suddenly I had a reason too never smoke again. I did a quick mental tally on that and found 'Smoke Again' was in the lead still with a few points.

"Yea I remember, and you remember our promise." Luckily being high didn't keep all your inhibitions at bay and I had remembered to swear Ann to secrecy, and seeing the way she kept eying my cousin she'd have good reason to stick to that promise.

"Of course I do Karen. How about we take Cliff to Duke's place and get him a good meal. Jack said he'd take us on a tour of the abandoned village later."

"Jack did?" Now my mental debate was going to kick into high gear. I hadn't seen Jack since the lock box incident and with all the feelings I've started to develop since opening it I wasn't too sure seeing Jack would be a good idea.

"Yes Jack; he has the only map to lead us there."

I couldn't debate with her on that one. I would have tried to get out of it saying I had something else to do, but I wanted to see this abandoned village...

* * *

**Jack's POV**

I was praying everything was going to plan. I paced back and forth inside my house, waiting for Ann to show up with Cliff and Karen. I had done all the work on the farm, which for now was just watering the plants. I was surprised how quickly the potatoes were growing. Ann had told me a white flower would pop up when they were ready for harvest and I couldn't wait for that to happen.

I looked at the map lying on the table. I had copied it out of Pappy's journal; afraid I'd drop it and lose the book if I wasn't careful.

Just as I was considering grabbing the journal in question and have a little read there was a knock at the door. Opening it revealed both Ann, and Cliff. I smiled when I saw Karen standing behind them trying to avoid my gaze.

"Ready to go Jack?" Ann seemed the most excited about this trip, and for good reason. Hopefully we could find some interesting stuff to bring back with us to show the villagers. If they got excited enough everyone would be talking about the abandoned village in the woods, and no one would pay attention to rumors of Karen's drug use.

"Of course just let me grab the map and we'll be off."

I ran inside and grabbed the map then joined the group. We started walking towards the woods and I noticed Ann seemed to be getting chatty with Cliff. It was nice to see she finally found someone to chase after.

We weren't even to the base of Mother's Hill when Ann pushed Karen forward. I was able to pick up the whispers between the two friends.

"What are you doing?"

"Go on give it to him."

I heard Karen sigh and then she walked up to me. "Here, we picked you up a lunch from Duke's." She handed me a brown bag with a couple of sandwiches and a water bottle.

"Thanks."

When I took the bag from her hands I noticed a ring on her finger. I wanted to ask her who it was from, but I knew better. If I started doing things that made me look like I had feelings for her she'd just bad mouth me and run off. I'm sure it wasn't from Kai since he'd only been on the island for a week or so. Maybe just something her mother gave her.

I quickly finished the delicious bagged lunch and stuffed the trash into my rucksack. Pulling out the map we started through the forest. I hadn't realized it before but all the twists and turns you had to take could easily get you lost. From Mineral Town you wouldn't even realize there was land lower down. Moving down the side of what I figured was Mother's Hill we eventually got to the entrance of the valley.

"Holy shit." Karen seemed impressed, Ann was speechless. I guess it was a big shock to them since they had lived on the island their entire lives and never noticed this before. Truth be told, I wondered why Pappy hadn't told the other villagers about this place.

I figured the best place to start would be the mansion I found. The girls and Cliff followed me as I tried to retrace my steps from yesterday. Sure enough when I saw the path start to turn to brick I knew we were on the right path. Ann and Karen were too busy soaking in all the old run-down buildings to take notice of where we were. Standing at the base of the stairs I grabbed their attention.

"This is pretty much the biggest attraction of the place. Check it out."

"Damn how did we never find this place? Look at it Ann, it's huge!"

I'd admit it was a pretty large house, but I wouldn't say it was huge. Knowing though the size of most houses on the island, this one would definitely top the list easily. I motioned for them to follow me inside as I showed them around where I had been. It was pretty simple. Some of the rooms upstairs were locked, and I didn't feel like trying to force my way in. The kitchen downstairs grabbed their attention for a little while, as well as the upstairs balcony. Exiting Ann and Karen got excited when they realized underneath all the brush in the center of the buildings courtyard there was a water fountain.

"Jack, do you think we could ever fix this place up?" Ann was looking down into the water fountain, looking for any sign of water.

"I'm sure they could, I mean this building wouldn't take anything to get it back to the way it was. The other places might need a little more work though."

"I saw a pretty big building on our way in. We should go check it out." This time Karen took the lead.

"Sure, may as well. This one was the only place I actually got to go into before it got dark."

Backtracking a little ways we arrived at a large wooden building. Windows were still in place, and the construction looked steady enough. I was still a little antsy about going in though. If this place had been left untended too as long as Pappy's journal said it had been I was sure there would be rotten spots in the wood, and I didn't want to walk up on one.

Karen started to go in first. "Karen, be careful in there. Test where you step before you put all your weight on it."

"Yea, yea." That was all I heard before a cracking noise and then a yelp.

"Karen!"

I ran inside and nearly fell in the hole she had made in the floor. Sure enough a rotten spot in the boards had given away under her weight and she had fallen into the cellar.

"Karen, are you ok?" I leaned over the hole trying to find her, but all I could see was pitch black.

"I think so, my leg hurts really bad. I can't see anything."

I tried to think of a way to get some light down there. If it was too deep and I tried to lower myself I'd fall in. "Ann, Cliff you don't have a mirror on you or anything?"

"Of course not."

"Me either."

I thought harder; then I got an idea. "Karen can you see the light from up here?"

"Yea."

"I want you to try and angle that ring on your finger towards it. I need to judge how far down you are."

"Ok."

A few seconds later I saw a gleam from down in the hole. It wasn't too far down.

"Cliff, get over here and hold onto my legs. I'm going to grab her out."

"Got it. You sure about this?"

"There isn't any other way to get her out before dark."

Cliff grabbed onto my ankles and I slowly lowered myself into the hole. "Karen I need you to try and reach out from my hands. Can you stand?"

"No, I think I might have broken it."

"Alright just stretch out as best you can and see if you can find me."

My abbs were killing me, but it didn't take long to bump into her hands. Grabbing both her arms I steadied myself to get her out.

"Ok Karen, I'm going to need you to push as much as possible with your good leg. Then I'm going to pull you out."

"Alright."

After a brief struggle I slowly started to pull her up. It was like doing the sit up from hell, but I knew I had to get her out.

"You're almost there Jack keep going." Ann watched scared while Cliff kept holding onto me.

A few minutes later Karen was out of hole and we were all outside resting.

"Well that's enough exploring for one day; we better get you to the doctor's."

I saw Ann whisper something to Cliff and they both started walking off towards the town.

"Wait what are you two doing? I can't walk." Karen looked at Ann almost pleadingly.

"Jack will carry you." I knew I had been setup, but part of me actually appreciated Ann putting me on the spot like that.

Karen looked at me, but she didn't have any anger in her eyes. In fact she almost looked like she was smiling. "Looks like you get to be my pack mule."

"Not a problem. Here wrap your arms around my neck." I kneeled down facing away from her. She didn't complain, and when I felt her arms around my neck I felt a shiver run down my spine. Then when I stood and felt her entire weight on my back I felt warm all over. I blushed a bit when I felt her chest on my back, but I quickly got used to it.

"Well mule, get a move on."

"Yea, yea."

Ann had memorized the way on the way down and kept ahead of us chatting with Cliff. I had to move at a slower pace with Karen on my back.

"You remember when we'd do this as kids?" Karen caught me off guard when she started up the conversation. I laughed at the memory.

"Yea. We'd always play till we were so tired we couldn't move. I always ended up carrying you piggy back to your place or Pappy's."

She laughed. "You always made a good pack mule."

"Hey!"

"I'm just joking…You want to know a secret?"

"What?"

"When I got tired and told you I couldn't make it back. Half the time I was faking it."

"Why?"

There was a pretty long period of silence. I thought I had over stepped, but just as I was about to start cursing myself Karen spoke up again.

"I liked it when you'd carry me around."

I blushed again. It was getting a little weird hearing her talk like this; just days earlier she had been bad mouthing me left and right; now it was like we were friends…almost more than that.

"We had a lot of fun back then."

"Yea…"

Looking ahead Ann and Cliff were out of ear shot. With the mood Karen was in I figured now was a good time to try and take a leap forward.

"Karen?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm really sorry I never came back. I know I could have if I tried, and I didn't. I was a horrible grandson, and a horrible friend to you. I'm really sorry I broke our promise."

She was quiet for a little. Then I saw her arms fall down from my neck and just dangled in front of me. I felt her rest her head on my back. "It's ok Jack, besides technically you didn't break the promise."

"Huh?"

"You promised you'd come back, and you did."

I looked around and realized I was in the village. Ann and Cliff were waiting by the clinic for me.

"I guess you're right."

* * *

_End Chapter 8_

_Thanks again to Libra1 for looking over this chapter, her continued editing work keeps this story rolling. Also you'll be surprised to know Chapter 9 is already being edited, and Chapter 10 is nearly finished the rough draft stage. A soundtrack is being put together that goes along with the story, and I'll be made available to ya'll through iTunes via an iMix. Also for continued updates please check out my message board at __http://www__ .mithrilonline .com/cgi/yabb2ph/YaBB.pl just take out the spaces between the www. And .com and the link will work, has some thing built in that prevents you from listing web address in your stories._

_BE SURE TO REVIEW! As there will be personal replies in the next chapter. _


	10. Chapter 9: Clean Slate

_**Disclaimer:**__For the song and electronic equipment depicted in this story see the disclaimer in chapter 1. _

**Chapter 9**

_Clean Slate_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

It felt like Christmas; even though it was the middle of May. Waking up I had gone outside to start my daily chores when to my amazement all my potato's had sprouted beautiful white flowers…well sort of flowers they looked more like a collection of white weeds on top of the plant.

Remembering Ann's instructions I grasped the base of the plant. Wiggled it a bit from side to side, and then with a gentle tug pulled the plant out of the ground. Thank the heavens I held a beautiful, large, brown potato. Quickly I placed the one I had just pulled aside and pulled up the remaining crops. Dumping the produce in the shipping bin I couldn't wait for Zack to roll around at 5PM so I could show off my harvest…and get paid of course.

"What you up so early for Jack?" Since Karen's house was full and the village didn't really have an inn I had put Cliff up at my place since I had an extra bedroom. He agreed to help me work the farm in exchange for room and food.

"Take a look at the shipping bin!" I was so excited I forgot to control the tone of my voice. Cliff understood though as he lifted the top to take a peak.

"Wow so this is your first harvest? What do we do now?"

That was a good question. It was too late into the season to plant another crop. If I had more experience I was sure I could have cut down on the growth time a lot, but since I was new at stuff like mixing fertilizer, balancing water and plant food, monitoring plant health and everything it took a little longer.

I looked over the field and noticed it was still clear. Cliff handled that for the most part, while I took care of the plants and looked around Mother's Hill for wild fruit to ship. It gave us enough money to eat, but with this harvest I could more than double the amount of crops I had growing.

"It's too late in the season to start another round of potato crops. We'll just have to wait till next month. Maybe we'll try our hand at about ten crops of corn."

"Sounds great, but what do we do in the mean time?"

Thinking about it summer didn't really start officially until middle of June and seeing as it was the 25th of May that was a lot of time to waste. Then I spotted the chicken coup.

"I think I'm going to go buy a chicken." Second guessing myself, I realized that would mean a trip to Green Ranch, and Cliff would probably rather do that himself. Ann was his mutual interest now. "Actually here." I threw him a bag of gold pieces. "Why don't you run over and pick up the chicken, grab a good amount of feed too while you're at it. I'm sure Ann will help you lug it all back."

"Yea, yea. You gonna just slack off? Or are you making another trip to the Vineyard?"

Cliff played me at my own game. Things had been going well with Karen lately, but they were confusing. "You never can tell. I'll see you after lunch."

He waved me off and I started up towards Mother's Hill.

Truth be told, I needed some time to think to myself. Karen and I were definitely acting more than civil towards each other. The most romantic moments we had shared were nothing more than a close hug, or sometimes she'd come over with Ann to watch a movie with Cliff and me and her head would magically fall on my shoulder as she fell asleep. Besides that there was nothing really to go on. In fact it got damn near frustrating sometimes. We'd hang out one night; have fun talking, staying out late, and heck once we even walked hand 'n hand. Then I'd come round the next day and she'd be gone. Hell she'd be gone for days on end. It made me worry too that when I couldn't find her, I couldn't find Kai either.

I went to go sit next to the pond when I saw Harris; looking like he was deep in thought. I didn't want to disturb him, but he saw me before I could get away.

"Jack, are you up here to think too?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Yea."

"Come on over here and grab the rock next to me."

Feeling like I had no choice, I complied. I didn't hate the guy or anything. In fact he was pretty fun to be around, but today I just really wanted some time to myself.

"Mind if I ask what's on your mind?"

"Just some trouble with women. What about yourself?"

"I'm in the same boat I'm afraid. I'm trying to figure out a way to ask Mary to the Flower Festival."

"Flower Festival?"

"Oh yes, it's a big deal for the ladies. All the villagers go to the town square and vote for the girl they believe should be the Harvest Goddess. All the girls dress up in white with flowers all over them. Then during the festival it's revealed which girl was chosen, and the Harvest King gets to dance with her."

"Who's the Harvest King?"

"The Harvest King is the winner of a contest during our Harvest Festival in the fall. The men of the village pick from a pile of assorted cakes. One contains a trinket. If your cake has the trinket you become the king."

"Who's the King this year?"

Harris sighed. "That's my problem, I am."

"I don't get it how's that a problem?"

"Well you see I have to dance with the girl the villagers vote as the Harvest Goddess. Mary's so shy that I don't think anyone would vote for her, and she'll be so disappointed if I dance with another girl."

I figured it shouldn't be too hard to tip the scale of the vote. I could get Karen, Ann, Cliff, myself, Duke, and Zack to all vote for Mary. Plus Harris' vote puts us at seven, with the other villagers splitting their votes it'd be an easy win. "Don't worry Harris, you just vote for Mary and I'm sure it'll work out alright. Just do your best."

Harris smiled. "You're right Jack; it's all I can do. Running around being the mail man and the police man around here is tough work. I can't be worrying about stuff like this."

I laughed inside thinking how 'hard' it must be being the police man of Mineral Town. Even 'harder' with all the mail there was to deliver. "So any messages for me today?"

"Sorry Jack none; the only thing I've got is Kai's daily letter."

"Daily?"

"Yea it's kinda strange. Every day I go by the winery to drop off his letter and he's got one for me to send. Tells me he's writing to a cousin that's staying in the city."

It was sort of strange, but if I was basically all alone I'd probably write to my family often too. _But every day?_

"That is kind of strange. We'll I better be off."

"Wait Jack, what about your problem?"

"All the other girls get to dance with whoever they want right?"

"That's how it works."

"Well since Mary's going to be the Goddess I better go ask Karen to go with me."

Harris laughed. "You do that."

Walking down the path to the vineyard I saw Karen walking out the door. Thinking this was my lucky break I decided I'd talk to her first about rigging the vote.

"Hey."

"Hey, what's up? You're sure up early."

"Had my first harvest this morning, got me all excited."

"Really? That's great news Jack."

"Yep, looks like you're not going to win that farm."

"Whatever, besides you already got your prize. You're all forgiven."

"And I'm thankful for it every day. Mind if we talk a second."

"What with all the fun exciting things I have to do today? I don't know if I can spare the time."

I sat next to her on the steps. "Smartass."

"I'm not the only one on the island." Of course she was staring at me when she said that.

"I just talked to Harris, he explained this whole Flower Festival to me."

"Really?"

"Yea, he's got a small problem I was hoping we could help him out with."

"I'm not teaching him to dance."

"No nothing like that. Ya see he's the Harvest King so he has to dance with whoever gets voted as the Harvest Goddess."

"So you want me and Ann to vote for Mary so Harris can dance with her?"

Always a quick wit on her Karen knew exactly what I was getting at. "Well…ya."

"Sure, I hate having to dress up for that thing anyways so does Ann. Sides it'll be nice to see little Popuri get crushed when she doesn't win. By the way we call the winner the 'Flower Princess' not the Harvest Goddess. We threw out those old myths a long time ago."

"Great."

There was a bit of silence. Karen stared at me like she knew I had something more to say. "Is there anything else Jack?"

"Well…there was this…one thing."

"And?"

"Well I was wondering, since you don't plan on being the Flower Princess, if you'd go with me to the Flower Festival."

"Now why would I do that?"

I was pretty sure she was being sarcastic, but I had to test to make sure. "Well if that's the case I could just go ask Popuri."

"Sorry, Gray already has her as a date."

Backfire, but I have more ammo. "Well Elli is a nice, mannered, polite, and a pretty girl. I'll just ask her."

Karen put on a fake sad looking face, and then a smile spread across her lips. "It's nice to see you've been paying attention to her. Unfortunately you're not the only one, and the Dr. beat you to it."

Damnit I was running out of options. "Well Ann is a good friend of mine. I'll just ask her."

"Oh, but she's a good friend of mine too. Just the other day she came up here bouncing with joy telling me Cliff had asked her. That leaves Mary, but she'll be the Flower Princess and that makes her Harris' woman for the night."

I was dumbfounded it was if she was expecting this and had practiced everything she was going to say. "Well then will you go with me?"

"You never answered my question."

"Well I'm handsome, I'm officially a farmer, you know me very well, and who else would you go with?"

"Kai." She said it without skipping a beat. "But he hasn't asked yet. I'll go with you if you'll do one thing."

"Yea?"

"Tell me why you asked me."

Now I locked up. She threw a real curve at me. If I told her it was because I liked her and she was just joking about the question things would get awkward, and if she was being serious this could be the chance I was looking for.

My mind choose to take a quick trip down memory lane. I remembered sitting on Mother's Hill with Karen right before try outs for the school Christmas Pageant. I had tried to get something out of her and she had refused. Again she gave me an ultimatum that if I tried out for the part of David she'd tell me what I wanted to know. After some negotiation we settled for after the Christmas Pageant, but then of course my mother died. After I ran up on that memory I quickly pulled myself out of my day dream and back to the present.

"You know I remember this little girl that promised to tell me something after a Christmas Pageant. I never did hear what she had to say."

Karen blushed. "Fine I'll go with you. I'll get it out of you eventually anyways."

* * *

**Karen's POV**

It was the day of the Flower Festival. I could tell because the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was that horrible, gaudy, dress. White with flowers stitched into it. I remember when I was little I loved helping my mom make my dress and she'd have to do everything to keep me from running around in it and ruining it before the festival. Now it was a curse.

I still did it though. If anything it made my mom happy seeing me in the dress. Grabbing the dress and zipping it up into a garment bag I went down stairs to get Breakfast. Kai was there. I felt a little guilty. No one had really explained to him about our festivals. My mother told him about it the other night when she was finishing up my dress. As soon as he heard about it he came and found me and asked if he could be my escort. I had to turn him down, and told him Jack had already asked me.

Lately I hadn't been very fair to either of them. Jack would take me out around the village, treat me to dinner, and we'd stay out late and talk. I'd be flirtatious, even brush my hand against his, sometimes he'd grab it. Then there were times I'd be doing nothing and Ann would come by and talk me into going to Jack's to watch a movie. I'd always curl up next to him and pretend to fall asleep, resting my head on his shoulder. Then when I felt like I knew I had feelings for him my mind would start this whole battle fighting over what I felt for Jack. Then I'd go home and my dad would be drunk raging on about this and that, bills, and the winery not putting out good wine. My mom would argue with him to get to sleep and then I'd hear a yelling match all night.

Kai would hear it too. Whenever it happened I'd sneak out of my bedroom and he'd be waiting for me outside. We'd sneak into the valley with flashlights and smoke pot to help calm myself down. Of course when I got high my emotions were flying everywhere, and I'll admit I got a little more flirtatious with Kai then I intended. We had even started growing our own weed plants out in cave that had this weird soil that could grow just about anything in a week's time. Sometimes I'd get tired and when I'd wake up I'd be resting on Kai's chest. I knew I was throwing out mixed signals left and right to him, but I knew my heart already belonged to someone. I just didn't want to admit it yet.

Breakfast went quietly for the most part. In fact the only time I ever spoke was to reassure mom I'd be heading straight for the town square with my dress to get ready. Kai smiled at me, but didn't say much the entire time. After finishing I quickly dumped my plate in the sink, grabbed my dress, and was out the door.

There were only two comforting things I could think of, actually thinking about it make that three. First was the fact Ann would be with me so I wouldn't have to face all girls alone while they put on their makeup. The second was I knew I'd get to see Popuri's face when she realized she hadn't been chosen as this year's Flower Princess. The last reason I was a little hesitant to admit even to myself, but I guess I was glad Jack was my date tonight.

"Karen! Thank God you got here I was worried you slept in and left me here all alone."

"I'd never do that. Let's go grab our usual spot and get this over with." The dressing area was filled with makeup, flowers, and of course girls running around trying to look perfect. Mary's mom was there trying every single thing she could on her daughter, and of course never being pleased with it and then she'd start all over again. Popuri did her own makeup since her mother was sickly, and she did enough fussing over it for two people. Elli had her grandmother who tried her best to help, but always made Elli look like an old maid. Being nice Elli would let her finish and then fix herself all up again to fit her more modern taste.

Ann and I usually just sat at the end of the dressing row and talked. My mom knew exactly how to put on my makeup and Ann's. She had been doing it for years now. Since Ann didn't have a mom and my mother never got old of this sort of thing she was more than happy to help out. She wouldn't bother to come till later though since neither Ann nor I would take much effort. Just slap it on and I'm good to go.

"You excited about your date tonight?"

Ann blushed I knew she was a little nervous. This was her first actual date with Cliff. "Sort of; oh Karen you know I've never been on a date before. What if I do something wrong?"

"Oh come on Ann we've done this festival a hundred times, and it's the same thing every time. Just do what you usually do and the rest will come."

"Easy for you to say. You've got your little childhood sweetheart."

I felt the blood rushing to my face letting Ann know she embarrassed me. "Oh come on its nothing like that."

"Oh Karen, you're blushing!"

"Just get your dress on and wait why don't ya?"

I marched off with my garment bag to the changing booths. Taking a second to calm down I quickly stripped off my usual outfit and slipped on the dress. As I figured mom had tailored it perfectly. I looked in the mirror and stuck out my tongue at my reflection. I hated dressing up, but at least today I had something to look forward to.

_"Popuri's going down."_

_"Oh stop acting like that's the only reason. You know you're really just excited that Jack's going to be your date."_

_"Yep, you're right."_

I surprised myself with that one. I admitted I was excited Jack was going to be my date. In away it was true. Tonight I was going to find out one way or the other just what Jack Harvest wanted from me.

"Karen, honey, where are you?"

"I'm in here mom, give me a second." I quickly slipped on my shoes and stepped out. Of course mom did her whole 'You've grown up so much' and the classic 'you look so beautiful'. One thing about mom's you could be the ugliest looking girl on the planet and you're mother would still call you beautiful.

"Thanks mom. Are we about ready?"

"Of course I already did Ann's makeup, let me just sit you down for a second and I'll have you ready."

Ann smiled when she saw my mother's finished work. Looking in the mirror I had to say it didn't look half bad. I mean I'm not one for the whole dresses and make up deal, but my mom did a great job.

"Well honey I'm going to go join the rest of the parents outside. I'll see you when you get called out."

"Bye mom and thanks."

"Thanks Mrs. Miller, I really appreciate it!"

"You're both welcome girls. Just have fun."

My mom left and I turned to Ann. "So what were the guys supposed to be up too?"

"Well Cliff told me all they have to do right now is feed the chicken. So they've been helping with some of the other guys to fix up the valley area."

"Figures, all men like to do is mess with tools."

"Tell me about it."

"Ladies and Gentlemen thank you for coming!" Hearing the Mayor's trademark voice Mary's mom ushered us into our positions behind the curtain. I smiled when I saw Mary's mom place the Flower Princess crown on her daughters head. Mary couldn't believe it, and I had to hold my laughter when I saw it looked like Popuri couldn't believe it either.

The Mayor's speech, as always, continued. "As you are all aware thanks to Jack we've found a lost part of our history, and were working hard to restore it. The carpenters tell me we should have a new village inn and a wooden walkway to the valley finished by summer's end!"

The towns folk clapped, which only spurred the little man on. "That's not all! Land for two new farms has been discovered, and we've even begun planning a more modern city in the valley."

A resounding applause must have had what I could only imagine the mayor ready to burst with pride. "But we'll have more about that later. Now let me introduce the young ladies of the village." The curtain rose. "And I'm very proud to announce my daughter Mary is this year's Flower Princess!"

It was always embarrassing standing on stage while everyone was cheering you on. Especially when I was dressed like I was. There was clapping and cheering. I even heard a whistle and when I followed the noise to its creator I saw a smiling Jack Harvest staring right at me. I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel even more self-conscious than I already was.

"Ok now men! Harris this year's Harvest King will dance with the Flower Princess. All you other guys partner up."

As I walked down the stage I saw Kai standing in the stag corner with Rick. I felt bad for him. Jack came up to me holding his arms out to get ready for the dance.

"Jack would you mind if I let Kai dance with me once?"

I could tell that wasn't what he wanted to hear, but the smile never left his face. "Sure I'll go grab something to drink."

"Thanks."

I walked up to Kai who looked very surprised to see me. "Karen? Aren't you supposed to be with Jack?"

"I am." Kai's look of hope turned to disappointment. "But I wanted to save the first dance for someone that's helped me out a lot these past few months."

Kai smiled and gently wrapped his arms around my waist. "Then shall we?"

"Sure."

I've never been big on anything Hispanic, but if there was one talent they must have it was the gift of dance. Kai moved around on that dance floor ten times better than any other partner I had ever had. It was fun, but I realized it was more of a friendly type of thing. Before I knew it the dance was over.

"Thanks Karen."

"Heck what are you thanking me for? Your dancing skills are way up there, it was fun."

He smiled, and then walked back over to the corner with Rick. I spotted Jack standing next to the punch bowl looking at me. When he realized he was caught he quickly tried to pretend something on the stage had caught his interest. I marched right up to him.

"Don't think I didn't see you staring at me."

"Oh I'm afraid you're mistaken. I just saw a really pretty bird over your way and it caught my eye."

"Well I'm sure Kai's up for another dance if you're going to play coy all evening."

I felt him grab my hand and I felt my heart pound when I felt his touch. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. Without saying a word he gently wrapped his arms around my waist and drew me closer to him. My arms went around his neck and we started to sway back and forth as a slow song started to play.

As the music continued I felt him tug at me gently closing the small gap between us. I felt his breath on my neck, and it was all I could do to keep my heart from pounding out of my rib cage. Though he wasn't near as good a dancer as Kai, this was definitely different from my dance with the Columbian farm hand, and I was enjoying this feeling much more. I knew we had already gone through several songs. Jack had guided me over to one of the square's corners so we could just sway back and forth and not draw any attention.

"You know I went down to the beach today."

I closed my eyes letting his voice take me there. "Um hum."

"I remembered something. A contest Pappy had us do against each other to solve an argument."

My heart started pounding faster. "Yea?"

"I remember I won that contest and got the prize. But when I saw how disappointed you were over losing I gave it to you."

I couldn't even talk I was so nervous.

"It was that ring you're wearing now. I remembered we put it in that lock box. You've been wearing it this whole time."

That did it. Jack had turned the tables on me. He had called me out and caught me red handed. Instead of me finding out how he felt, he had found out how I felt, even before I had.

I broke off the dance and ran. Luckily none of the other villagers had noticed. It had started getting dark and everyone was busy drinking and enjoying the festivities to notice me leaving. Going into the changing room I almost tore off the dress and changed into my normal clothes, then took off for Mother's Hill. It was the quietest place I could think of.

I was so stupid. Why did I wear that stupid ring around him all the time? It's like I was asking him to remember it and see right through me. See right into my heart, and know how I felt.

It just didn't seem fair. He had it easy. He knew he could have me now…I didn't want it to happen this way. Tears started welling up in my eyes when I realized he must think I hate him. Now things would go back to the way they were when he got here. I'd have to avoid him, and act mean towards him…I didn't want that.

I felt a tear run down my cheek. I was hopeless; maybe I should just go for Kai and be a pot head for the rest of my life. Just thinking about that made me feel worse, if Jack didn't despise me now he would when he found out about my smoking habit.

"Karen?"

I jumped. Quickly trying to wipe the tears away I knew it'd be hopeless my face had to be all puffy from the crying.

"What do you want?"

He sat next to me on the log overlooking the pond from the small cliff above it. "I'm sorry Karen I didn't mean to embarrass you…I just thought it make you feel better if you knew I remembered it. I thought that's why you were wearing it."

I relaxed a little, but I still didn't face him. I didn't want him to know I was crying. I felt him put his hands on my shoulders and I instinctively relaxed at his touch. "Won't you at least look at me?"

I knew it'd happen sooner or later. I cursed the full moon casting all its light down on me. When I turned to face him I realized Jack grew more concerned when he saw I had been crying. I felt embarrassed so I buried my face in his shirt. I felt him stroking my hair and he pulled me close.

"Karen, if you'll let me I'd like to try that dance again."

I looked up at him surprised. "Why?"

"Just trust me."

He lifted me up and I wrapped my arms around his neck, but he reached into his pocket. "We're going to need some music. My dad shipped over some of my things."

He pulled out a small box with ear phones attached to it. I wondered what it was as he gently placed one of the ear buds in my ear, and the other in his. "It's called an iPod. It holds a ton of music and you can take it everywhere."

Pushing a button the screen lit up and he scrolled through till he highlighted a song called 'Heaven (Candlelight Mix)'. "And it's going to help me let you know how I feel tonight." He pressed a button and I heard a gently piano melody as Jack once again gently wrapped his arms around me.

We started to sway back and forth staying close because the ear buds wouldn't let us move apart, not that we would have if we had the option. I closed my eyes and listened to the lyrics.

_Oh thinkin' about our younger years,  
There was only you and me,  
We were young and wild and free_

I was amazed at how well the lyrics fit our situation. When I opened my eyes I realized Jack was looking right at me. I couldn't close my eyes anymore as I met his gaze with mine.

_Now nothin' can take you away from me,  
We've been down that road before  
But that's over now,  
You keep me coming back for more_

I felt tears starting to work their way back up into my eyes. I had never felt this way before. The song continued on and I felt Jack's heart beating against my own. We were both nervous. Neither one of us was completely sure of what the other was thinking. The song seemed to be speaking for him though.

_Baby, you're all that I want  
When you're lying here in my arms  
I'm finding it hard to believe we're in heaven_

I felt him stop moving and I did as well as he pulled me into a tighter embrace.

_Love is all that I need,  
And I found it there in your heart,  
It isn't too hard to see  
We're in Heaven_

The song gently ended and we were left their motionless as the crickets chirped. Jack gently removed the ear bud from both our ears and pushed me back a little so I could see him.

"Karen I love you. It took me awhile to realize that over the years, but I knew something held onto my heart here on this island. When I came back it didn't take me more than a few weeks to realize what I felt for you. I…" I put a finger on his mouth and smiled. He looked frightened like he was going to be rejected.

"I love you too Jack." He smiled and we slowly closed the distance between us and kissed. I felt every once of my body feel like it tingled. It wasn't my first kiss or anything, but nothing I had done before compared to this. I felt relief, I felt extreme happiness. I felt complete.

After about a minute of enjoying an innocent kiss, we broke away. The smile on Jack's face put one on my own. It was amazing. I knew I was in love, I finally knew how it felt to be loved, and best of all: the person I loved… loved me back.

"That was…nice."

I grinned. "If a little kiss felt that good I wonder what…" I was cut off when I hear a twig snap down the path. Jack wrapped his arms around me protectively and my sprits dropped when I saw Kai standing there his mouth hung open, looking like he had been shot.

"…Kai." I didn't leave Jack's grasp. I knew where I belonged. Even though I didn't want to hurt Kai's feelings I didn't want to lead him on any longer. He walked off, but I was sure as soon as he got out of sight he probably ran either towards the wine cellar or our smoking spot.

_"Smoking…I'm going to have to tell him."_

"Jack…I…" I felt his finger on my lips.

"Let's just call it a night huh? If you don't feel like going home let's go grab Ann and Cliff and take in a movie at my place."

I smiled. "As long as I get to use my pack mule as a pillow."

Jack grabbed me in a head lock and gave me a noggie. I screeched surprised and broke free. We both laughed as we chased each other down the path back towards the square to fetch Cliff and Ann.

The entire way I couldn't stop thinking. "…finally."

* * *

_Well once again I have to thank Libra1 for her continued editing skills on this chapter. She's telling me I'm getting better, but I know it'd still wouldn't look half as good without her help. Further more I'm really glad I'm getting more and more input from you on this story. I'm sure this chapter satisfied many of you who were wishing for some Jack x Karen fluff, but it's far from over with. Heck I don't know if we're even at the half way point yet. There will be a huge story turning event that will occur within the next two chapters that ya'll never saw coming. _

_**Now For the Review Thanks**_

**Shippostail:**Drugs a defiantly something that can mess up even the simplest of things, so like you said it's always good the steer clear of them. I'm glad it seemed you enjoyed Chapter 9 as well

**DoubleKK: **I'm glad you haven't given up on your Karen x Jack story, read the PS note after the Review Thanks for something you might take interest in.

**Klutz586: **I'm glad you're still enjoying the fic I haven't had to use those bacon cookies for anything yet, but hopefully I'll never have too. Thanks for the sugar cookies though.

**IMPORTANT!**

_**This will be at the beginning of the next chapter but I thought you'd all like to get a heads up. I'm in the process of securing a domain name and web space for what hopefully will become as popular as the Final Fantasy VII Genesis awards. I've decided the best way to get Harvest Moon fiction a jump start would be an awards program of some sorts. I mean we've already got a huge amount of categories we could use to begin with, what with all the different Harvest Moon games and types of fiction to write about. Be sure to mention in your reviews if this idea is appealing to you. As always READ AND REVIEW (R&R)!**_


	11. Chapter 10: Like Grains Of Sand

_**IMPORTANT!**_

_**I'm in the process of securing a domain name and web space for what hopefully will become as popular as the Final Fantasy VII Genesis awards. I've decided the best way to get Harvest Moon fiction a jump start would be an awards program of some sorts. I mean we've already got a huge amount of categories we could use to begin with, what with all the different Harvest Moon games and types of fiction to write about. Be sure to mention in your reviews if this idea is appealing to you. As always READ AND REVIEW (R&R)!**_

* * *

**Chapter 10**

_Like Grains of Sand_

**Jack's POV**

The work was exhausting, but it would be well worth it in the end. Cliff and I both looked at our ten plowed plots ready for seeding. I already had the seeds in the barn, but felt it would be better to let the soil sit for a day before we actually seeded it. Reading Pappy's farming journal really gave me some valuable insights on how to grow stuff faster, and run a more efficient farm. After all if I only got one harvest a season things weren't going to work out very well.

"You know Jack it's going to be hell watering all those things by hand."

Cliff had a great point. Looking back over the field only emphasized that point. Mixing the water and actually physically watering each crop would take up most of the day. We didn't even have half the entire field filled up yet! We had planted some grass in a part closer to the barn we wouldn't be using for a few seasons just in case we decided to get some livestock. Nugget, our chicken, was already turning out to be a handful. Her temper seemed to get the best of her, and the best of us too. It was mainly Cliff's chore but we'd switch every now and then. You'd literally have to run in, grab the egg, and toss the feed in the bin as fast as you could, or you were getting pecked.

"Karen mentioned something about a town inventor. I think his name was Rick?"

Cliff nodded. "I met him a few times when I came around here when I was younger. Nice guy, and a real handy man, but he's a bit on the nerdy side."

"I'll go on into town and see if he doesn't have something to help us out."

"Alright, but hurry back the girls wanted to eat dinner with us."

I laughed. "They always eat dinner with us Cliff, that's what boyfriends do. I'll be back in plenty of time."

"Yea, yea just be sure. I don't want to have to deal with Karen all by myself."

I laughed and started walking towards the village. Cliff and Ann had gotten together not long after they found out about Karen and I. In fact it was hours later. When we went to watch the movie they noticed us holding hands and I guess the making out part sort of gave us away. It was funny though when Ann saw us kissing she jumped right on Cliff and nearly sucked his face right off. Sure enough we now had a two couple household basically. The girls would show up for Lunch and then go off to do their own thing. Then they'd show up again for supper and stay for awhile. Neither of us had gotten the girls to stay over a night. I wasn't too sure how to go about it. With the village being so small and all I wondered if it'd be proper or if it'd start some huge scandalous rumor and I'd have Karen's parents and Ann's father banging down my door.

"This looks like the place Karen was talking about." She had told me Rick lived in a pretty run down looking shack near the town square, and this seemed to fit the bill.

I walked in the door and sure enough the guy Karen had pointed out to me walking through the village was asleep on a counter on the far side of the room.

"Umm…are you Rick?"

"Huh? Who? Oh hey you're Jack, nice to finally meet you."

He extended his hand and I shook it. "Likewise I was wondering if you had something that could help me out. I've just gone from four plots to ten and I need something to cut down on the watering and could hold enough water to get the job done in just one go."

Rick scratched his chin. "Well usually I'd point you towards the sprinkler, but if you're going to be doing any mixing like adding plant food that won't save you much time since it holds less water than the watering can."

I sighed thinking how annoying it was going to be to water all those crops. How on earth did Pappy do it?

"Why don't you just use that irrigation system Jake had?"

"Huh?"

Rick laughed. "You don't even know you have it do you?"

I shook my head. Rick glanced up at a clock on the wall. "Tell you what if you feed me some supper I'll come over and help you get it set up before."

"You can really do it that fast?"

"Sure it's a breeze, but we better go ahead and get started."

We left the shack and got back to the farm in decent time. Cliff looked surprised when Rick was with me.

"Set an extra place at supper tonight. Rick's gonna help us set up an irrigation system in exchange for some supper."

"Man that sounds great, then you can take care of Nugget."

"In your dreams Cliff, are the girls here yet?"

"Nope, but I'll get the table set and all. Mac and Cheese work for you guys?"

Rick nodded and I gave a big thumbs up to my favorite dish. "Don't start on it quite yet though Cliff, you know how they like to help out."

"Tell me about it, at least it's something Karen can cook."

I laughed. "Well at least my girl can kiss without making it look like she's trying to suck the life out of me."

Cliff turned bright red and Rick started laughing his butt off. I smiled and followed Rick into the tool shed.

"There's no way it's in here. I've searched every nook and cranny in this place."

"Not everywhere, look here it is."

I looked, but all I saw was a hole in the floor. Rick stuck his finger in the hole and pulled up removing the floor tile and revealing a storage area beneath the shed. "You've got to be kidding me, a hidden storage room?"

"Well not really hidden. Jake had it put in to house some of his tools that wouldn't fit in the shed. The irrigation system's pretty large so he needed more space. Remember you have to take this thing apart and store it during the winter otherwise it'll be useless."

"Not a problem. So what do we move first?"

Rick pointed to a really large box with a large red hose coming out of it. There was also a funnel at the top of the box, and on one side was a small take with measurement readings on it.

"That's the pump housing. It's even got a reservoir you can add stuff like plant food and it'll mix it into the water for you."

"Man this thing's going to be great."

I went over to the pump and even putting all my strength into it couldn't manage to pick the thing up. "Yea that's the only draw back, but I've got a solution." Rick looked at his watch and counted down from five on his fingers. When he got to zero I heard Zack yell from outside.

"Jack where are you at?"

"You know it's kind of creepy you could do that."

"Oh give me a break he shows up here at 5PM like clockwork."

I ran up the stairs and managed to talk Zack into helping us move the heavy pump telling him it'd greatly increase the farms productivity. I was surprised when Zack seemed to pick up the pump with ease and walked it over to the pond and gently set it down.

"Appreciate it Zack."

"No problem, you just do your best on this farm. Island depends on you, ya know."

"I'm getting better every day. Besides with the valley getting restored maybe I won't be the only farmer around here before too long."

Zack laughed. "Let's hope so, I'll be rich if we get a couple more farms in here. "

Zack walked off and Rick came out of the shed with a lot of tubing, and other assorted stuff.

"So what now?"

"Well we're going to place the sprinkler heads first, then we connect the tubing, strap it on tight, and test the system. We should be done within an hour."

"Great."

The whole process turned out to be pretty simple. The sprinkler heads had metal spikes on the bottom that let you drive them into the ground and then it anchored them in place. We placed about two to three per plot. The tubing was the most annoying part. We had to run that stuff every which way to get all the sprinkler heads connected. We were just finishing clamping the tubing to the sprinkler heads with some zip ties when a familiar voice snuck up on me.

"Whatcha up too?"

I had just stapled the final tube down to the pump housing so we were close to the pond. Spinning around I grabbed Karen up bridal style and held her over the pond.

"I was just thinking of going for a swim, wanna join me?"

"Oh you wouldn't dare." She screamed when I let go of her for a split second, but I caught her.

"Don't push me woman."

She grinned. "I bet you'd like to see me all wet wouldn't you?"

I kicked off my shoes and started walking towards the pond. "Well now I think you need a cold shower."

"Jack Harvest you get away from that pond."

"Or what?"

"Oh I'll think of something."

I kept walking. "Better think quickly."

She got a little nervous when I acted like I was losing my balance. "Jack I'm serious I can't get wet in this it'll show right through."

"Well I wouldn't want to embarrass you." I set her down and she gave me a big passionate kiss as a reward.

"Good boy. Rick, are you all done with this contraption?"

Rick walked up on us. "Just about, just gotta see if it works. Care to do the honors?"

I stepped aside and pointed out the switch. "May as well it's always good luck to let a lady launch a ship."

She laughed. "Well let's just hope it's the same for irrigation systems huh?"

A flip of the switch and the motor came to life. It was pretty loud, but it did the job. I watched the thing slowly fill its main tank with water and then I saw water coming out of all the sprinkler heads. "Looks like it works."

Rick looked a little proud. "Of course it does. Just turn in on for about a minute or two otherwise you'll flood the place."

Karen laughed. "Now there's something. If you manage to get it running and then can't get it to shut off you'll have a swamp instead of a farm."

I flipped down the switch wanting to keep the soil fairly dry so it could settle. The machine puttered off and it retained the water in its main tank.

"Whatever you put in the reservoir will get mixed into the water fairly quickly and it'll be empty in about thirty seconds or so, so sure to use just what you need."

"Ok nerd boy let's eat I'm starving."

"Hey I just helped save your boyfriend's farm."

"Yea, yea you'll get your food."

Rick smiled. It was nice to see someone who could take Karen's mouth without taking it seriously.

In about half an hour, it would have been half that if the girl's hadn't been squabbling with Cliff over the cooking duties, we were all seated and ready to eat. We all bowed out heads and joined hands.

"God thank you for all you've given us today, and thank you so much for Rick and getting him over here to set up that irrigation system for us, it's going to be a huge help. Please continue to watch over and guide us. In your name I pray, amen." I finished the prayer and everyone quickly dug into their food.

I loved mac and cheese. Everyone at the table minus Rick knew it, and I'm sure by the way I engulfed it he had figured it out too. When supper was over we all let our bodies rest for a little while before moving onto dessert.

"So Rick, how's your sister doing?"

"Good, but I'm sure Ann can tell you more about it than I can."

Ann smiled. "Yep, she's been crashing at my place a lot. Dad moved her and Grey out into the loft and got them set up there."

Now I was confused. "Hold up, she's living with him, and everyone's cool with that?"

Rick was surprised. "Yea, I mean what'd you expect? She is over 21, so she's around the age."

Karen smiled. "Jack's from the city remember. His traditions are pretty different."

Rick sighed. "You see Jack…"

"Hold up there Rick, I'll educate my boyfriend. You better listen up too Cliff." Karen seemed to switch into lecture mode. "You see on Flowerbud Isle we take the idea of marriage very seriously. So we believe it's important that even if a couple truly loves each other that they should live with each other for at least a season before they propose. Kind of like a trial marriage. The parents usually keep a close eye on the couple. Not to necessarily make sure nothing 'naughty' happens, but to see how the couple handles stress, and other things a married couple will face."

Talk about your case of culture shock. It came across to me like the rents were giving their kids free license to go and mess around with their boyfriend or girlfriend just for a trial period. Then again it had its merits. I mean if you're going to get married you're not going to be doing the forbidden tango 24/7.

"So the marriage, how does that work then?"

Ann took over eager to share her two cents. "Well after a season one of the parents used to give the man a blue feather to propose with, but that was a long time ago. Now they usually just get the parents blessing and the guy goes into the city to buy the engagement ring and wedding bands. Comes back and we have a normal wedding at the church. There is one large difference in our marriage system though."

Cliff got a little concerned. "That being?"

Karen smiled. "When you get married you're stuck for life. There's no divorce, and if one of them dies you remain a widow for the rest of your life."

"Wow…that is different."

Ann giggled. "Well if you think about it, there's so few people on the island we couldn't have people getting divorced and then looking for a new partner we'd run out of people to couple up with."

"You've got a point. I'm hoping the new valley will attract some more settlers though."

"What do you need more people for when you've got me huh?" Karen glared at me playfully.

"You're right, you're more than enough to deal with."

She playfully smacked my arm and then stood grabbing my dish. Ann did the same as well as taking Rick's dish. They quickly cleaned them off, washed them, and put them up in the rack to dry.

"And now for dessert." Karen reached into the fridge and pulled out a large bottle of strawberry wine.

"Good night hun, where did you get that?" I wasn't a big wine drinker, but I could handle the taste of something like strawberry wine.

"Zack picked it up for me from the city today. We have to celebrate the beginning of summer the right way. There's no better way than this."

Cliff went to the cabinets and grabbed five wine glasses and Karen quickly poured everyone a glass. Sitting on my lap she raised her glass up into the air. "To the spring that'll last in our memories forever, and may Rick get laid this summer!"

"Hey!"

* * *

**Karen's POV**

I was glad I had picked up that bottle of wine. I wasn't drunk, but I was definitely buzzing. Jack looked like he was right there with me. Rick of course was passed out on the table, and Cliff had gone for a moonlight walk with Ann.

I don't know if it was the wine, or if it was just time. But I figured now was as good a time as ever to come clean with Jack on everything. I'm sure he had some stuff to get off his chest too.

"Come on let's go for a walk."

"It's pretty late out."

"Scared of the dark?"

"Oh whatever, let's go." He intertwined my hand with his and we were off.

Flowerbud Isle was beautiful at night. There wasn't a cloud in the sky tonight, and the temperature was perfect for shorts and a t-shirt.

"You know tomorrow's the fireworks festival."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to give me another culture lesson."

I let go of his hand and opted to snuggle against his arm instead leaning against him as we walked. "There really isn't much to it. They shoot some fireworks off from the beach and you're supposed to watch them with your significant other."

"So am I significant enough to watch the fireworks with you."

"Silly, of course you are."

We walked in silence for awhile longer until Jack broke the silence. "You know in a week from tomorrow we'll be coming up on our one month."

"Aww, you've been keeping track."

"You're welcome."

"If you hadn't reminded me I wouldn't have remembered."

"Smartass"

"Takes one to know one, but its one thing I love about you."

"Right back at you."

After sharing a kiss we found ourselves near the same log on Mother's Hill where Jack had found me the night of the Flower Festival. I sat down and patted the seat next to me which Jack took.

"Jack, I think its time we had a talk."

"I'm already informed about the birds and the bees."

I laughed. "Smart-aleck, no I'm serious though. There's some stuff I've kept from you that I want you to know about."

"Alright should I start or you?"

I was surprised, I thought he'd buck at the idea of getting everything out in the open. "How about we flip a coin for it?"

"Sounds fair, you call."

"Heads"

"Alright I'll take tales." He fished out a gold piece and flipped it into the air. I grabbed it before he did and flipped it onto the top of my hand. "Its heads, you go first."

"Ok, biggest thing I've got to get off my chest. My first serious girlfriend was a girl named Caitlin I met her in college. I lost my virginity to her and when we broke up I fell into a pretty low place. Drank the night away by myself, took up smoking pot, and all that stuff."

I was shocked. I mean not in a bad way or anything, but it took guts to tell me all those things. It made my confession easier too.

"Well for starters I'm not a virgin either, I lost that to Grey back in my senior year of high school, but he's the only one I've ever been with, and it was only once."

Jack smiled. "Well it looks like were on an even playing field."

"Wait there's more. When Kai came I started…" He cut me off.

"Smoking pot? I knew already, I guess that's a confession too."

"What, how?"

"I smelt it on Kai when he passed me and Ann on the path to your house the day he arrived. I mentioned to Ann and told her the signs to look for. She came to me that night she went with you up to Mother's Hill and told me she thought you were high."

I didn't feel betrayed or anything. If anything it was a relief, the lowest thing I felt I had done in my life was something Jack already knew about when he told me he loved me. "You know just about every day you didn't find me around the vineyard I was smoking with Kai down in the valley area, we found a cave down there and even started growing our own plants. When I smoked I got a little more flirtatious with him than I should have. I never kissed him though the worst thing was sometimes I'd wake up and realize I had used his chest as a pillow."

"Well who's the better pillow?"

"You by far, besides you double up as a pack mule too."

We we're silent for a few minutes. "So is that all?"

I nodded. "Yea, I can't help but feel a little guilty though. I know I led him on."

"Don't worry." Jack cupped my chin and brought my lips close to his. "He knows we're together now, and nothing's going to change that. I'm not going climb into bed, kiss, hold, or even touch any other girl ever."

I smiled. "After making me wait for some fifteen years you better not, and I promise to keep the same rules for myself."

"Thank you." He kissed me and I felt a mischievous grin form on my face.

"No problem, I'm not into girls anyways."

"Oh you!" He climbed on top of me and started tickling me.

"Ok…ok! You win I won't climb into bed, kiss, hold, or even touch any other boy ever!"

Satisfied he climbed off and helped me to my feet. "Good, now let me walk you home."

I latched onto his arm again. "Alright."

---

The next day came quickly as I got a pretty peaceful rest. Getting those confessions off my chest made me feel a lot better about myself, and my relationship with Jack. Now I was sure there was nothing that could come between us.

I walked downstairs and noticed my dad slouching in his easy chair, glass of whiskey in hand. Some habits just never die. Kai was sitting at the table, for the first time in awhile he honestly looked happy to see me.

"Good morning Miss Karen."

Of course he had gone back to calling me 'Miss' after he saw me with Jack that one night. I noticed he had an opened letter with him at the table.

"Morning Kai, what you got there?"

"It's a letter from my cousin. He's coming to visit me for a couple of days."

"From Columbia? That's a long trip."

"No, no. When I moved here he moved to North County city. He's been living there as long as I've been living here."

"North County city, I think that's where Jack's from." I wanted to slap myself for that. Kai had been in a great mood and I had to go say something like that. Oddly enough Kai didn't seemed fazed.

"I believe you're right. It's a very large city though from what he told me. He said over 356,000 people live there."

"Wow, I guess there's not much chance of them knowing the same people."

Kai nodded. "He's coming in today on the ferry."

"What, today?"

"Yes, he wanted to see the fireworks tonight."

"It's alright Karen; we'll just let him use your room. You can just go on ahead and move in with Jack." My dad never failed to chime in at the wrong time with his drunken comments.

"It's alright Miss Karen I've already set up another cot for him in the wine cellar; he'll only be here for two nights anyways."

"We'll I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"As he's looking forward to meeting you all, if you want to meet him he should be coming in just after lunch.

"Alright I'll try and make it."

I quickly cleaned up and started towards Ann's. It was going to be nice to meet some of Kai's family. On top of that it looked like Kai was getting over me and was trying to be friendly again, that was another huge relief. Walking up to the ranch I saw Popuri outside the barn, she waved to me so I waved back to be friendly. Unfortunately to her that must have been an invite for a conversation because she started towards me.

"Hi Karen, how have you been? It's been forever since I've talked with you."

"Yea, it has. I'm doing fine. Have you seen Ann?"

"Yep, she's in the barn. Who are you taking to the fireworks tonight?"

I started walking into the barn, but of course Popuri followed me in. "Jack, of course."

I had to cover my ears at the piercing squeal. "Oh Karen I had heard rumors, but is Jack your boyfriend?"

"Yes, he is." It was funny it still filled me with pride saying that. Jack Harvest was my boyfriend.

"Karen I'm so happy for you. I was wondering if you'd ever find someone."

There it is. I was waiting for it. Just when you think a conversation with Popuri is going to go alright for once she just forgets to slam on the breaks and crosses the line. I had to cool my temper though; the scatter brain didn't know any better.

"Thanks Popuri."

Luckily Ann spotted me from up in the loft. Part of the loft was Grey and Popuri's makeshift home, the other part still held hay.

"Oh hey Karen, catch!"

Ann dropped a bail of hay towards me and it scattered all over Popuri. I had to hold back my laughter, biting on my fist to keep it at bay. Popuri was covered in hay, it was everywhere in her hair.

"Sorry about that Popuri, I was counting on Karen to catch it."

I was surprised to see Popuri smile instead of breaking into tears. "No problem Ann, besides if I'm sticking around I've got to get used to all this."

She walked off towards the door that left to her and Grey's part of the loft. Ann grabbed the piece of rope around the bail lift and slid down.

"Man she's different then when I remember her?"

Ann smiled. "She's a whole lot different Karen. She's trying her best for my brother." Just as I thought Ann was getting serious about being sisterly with Popuri I saw a grin on her face. "But after she told me this morning Cliff's clothes make him look homeless I didn't mind dropping a bale of hay on her."

That was Ann alright. She was really nice, and hard to piss off, but she had a small list of things that could turn her on you really quick. Cliff was at the top of that list currently.

"So what you over here for?"

"I need a reason?"

Ann pouted, I loved pulling her leg. "Of course not, I just figured there was something important if you put up with Popuri to get to me."

"You've got a point. You see I was thinking. Jack and I got a lot of stuff out in the open, like stuff that I was worried he'd break up with me over."

"And where do I come in on this little scheme."

I was a little shy about introducing the idea to Ann of sleeping with her boyfriend. I mean she didn't have to have sex with him or anything, but just being in the same bed might be a little much for her. I didn't have a choice though if I wanted this with Jack. "Well things have been going really good between me and him, and I've noticed you've been getting along with Cliff just fine. I was thinking since tonight is a pretty romantic festival we could, you know, stay over at Jack's place tonight?"

Ann's face quickly turned several shades of red. "Karen! I know what you're thinking about, but I'm not really ready for that yet."

I held up my hands in defense. "Yeesh Ann I'm not talking like you have to get biblical with him or anything, just sleep in the same bed. I mean all the men are going out drinking, and I'm sure your dad is going to be way too trashed to notice you're not around. My parents won't care, their already pushing me to move in with Jack anyways."

Ann looked like she calmed down, but she still looked like this idea was going to take a lot of courage from her. "But…what if Cliff turns me down?"

I laughed. "Hun the way you two make out is almost R rated, and don't think I didn't see where both your hand's tend to drift to when it gets a little too heavy."

If I thought Ann had been embarrassed before, this took it to whole new levels. She was like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. That was the perfect analogy. "Karen…it wasn't…it…I."

I smiled. "Oh hush Ann, its not like I haven't been there before. Besides I can tell you already me and Jack have been there."

"Karen!?"

"Oh if it isn't the kettle calling the pot black. We've both been with our guys for about a month now, and we're both 24. Its only natural we at least sleep with our guy from time to time. I mean who knows Ann if you and Cliff get alone in a bed, at night, and those hands drift south again. Well it's only natural to think you guys might do the dirty tango."

She got really embarrassed. "What about you and Jack?"

"Oh well, I can already tell you it'll probably end it with both of us in our birthday suits, and unless he chickens out we'll end up dancing under the covers."

Ann sat down putting her face in her hands. "How can you be so open about that?"

The fact I had been with her brother wasn't any secret between Ann and I. I remember she was shocked at first when she found out, but accepted it. Truth be told everyone figured Popuri had lost her virginity to Grey shortly after they started going out, and everyone knew Elli lost it to the doctor back when we we're all in high school. That left Mary and Ann as our only two virgins.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about Ann. I mean I'm not going to go talk about it around town or anything, but with my close friends its nothing you have to hide."

"…I guess you're right."

I saw down next to her and put an arm around her. "Don't feel pressured to do anything you don't want to. I just wanted to bring up the idea."

She smiled. "No I think its time I at least slept with him."

"Good for you. Now let's go bother the boys and eat lunch with them. I've got a surprise after lunch!"

---

_End Chapter 10_

_Again thanks to Libra1 for her tireless work at getting these chapters polished up and ready to post. Also thank you to all my reviewers, I'm glad you all enjoyed Karen and Jack getting together. The next chapter will be out in a week or so and trust me you're going to want to read it, big plot turn._


	12. Chapter 11: Pandora's Box

**Chapter 11**

_Pandora's Box_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

"So are you going to tell me what this is all about?"

"Nope."

Karen had hinted at this 'secret' of hers all through lunch. I knew Cliff could have gotten it out of Ann but it seemed Karen hadn't even told her. That's what had me worried. If it was something she couldn't trust Ann with it must be something big.

I walked up to her and wrapped me arms around her waist. Leaning forward I whispered in her ear. "You can tell me, can't you?"

I felt her shiver a little as I kissed her collar bone she leaned back. "It's not a big deal, don't worry so much. I'm just having a little fun."

"If you say so" I released her and we continued down the path.

We passed the Green ranch. That meant whatever this surprise was, it was at the beach. In the distance I saw Zack's boat and it looked like the large man was lifting a suitcase out. I knew it must have been a relative of Kai's when I saw the purple bandana wearing farmhand poke his head out of the cabin.

I walked up to Karen. "Your surprise is a relative of Kai's?"

"Yep, its not every day a visitor comes here you know. It's exciting."

As we got closer I got a good look at the guy. He had sunglasses on with what looked like diamonds embedded in the frame. Both ears we're pierced with large diamond studded earrings. He had a large gold chain with a tacky looking Christian cross hanging from it. Baggy pants and a Hawaiian shirt opened up revealing a white wife beater.

I leaned over to Karen and whispered in her ear. "Part of me wishes you had just never brought me down here."

Karen tried to smile since Kai and his 'relative' were able to see us now, but it was obviously forced. "Trust me, I had no idea." As we walked closer Karen walked up to Kai. "So this is the cousin you're talking about all the time."

The cousin stepped in. "My name is Orlando, and from how beautiful you look you could only be the Karen, Kai writes about so much."

I saw Kai get embarrassed, but he didn't try and correct his cousin. The guy seemed to have charm, but his wardrobe definitely lacked class. His smile looked creepy as his eyes we're hidden underneath the large black Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses.

"I've come a long ways from North County to see this place. Kai tells me it's a very nice small village, yes?"

Karen seemed to be uncomfortable around Orlando, but she nodded. "Yes, we've been around here for a long time now. There isn't much but we make the most of our small community."

I smiled, Karen sounded like a big city tour guide. I walked up to them and slipped my arm around Karen's waist making sure Orlando knew Karen was off the market.

"You must be Jack."

I wasn't too shocked he knew me. Kai must have written him about me and Karen getting together. I extended my hand, but he didn't shake it. "I am. I run one of the farms in the village."

"Nice to meet you. Come on Kai let me get settled in and I'll let you show me around this place."

Orlando grabbed his bag from Zack and placed a five dollar bill in his hands. He and Kai both walked off towards the Vineyard.

"Guy looks like trouble."

Karen punched me playfully. "Just because he dresses like a punk doesn't make him a criminal."

"It should." Ann wasn't very taken by the man either.

"What do you think of him Zack?"

"He didn't say much the entire boat ride. Just asked my name and where the boat was before we left. Real nice car, even had a driver for it." Zack finished tying up the boat and then started walking towards the dock house. "I'm going to get things ready for the fireworks. Ya'll take care."

"So what now?"

Karen shrugged. "I dunno, me and Ann should go get ready for the fireworks Festival. Meet us back here around 7:30 tonight ok?"

I nodded. "Sure" I looked towards Cliff and coughed when I saw Ann was about to suck his face off again. "How about we go help out with the valley restoration, their almost finished with the new inn."

Cliff took his hands off Ann's waist and laid a kiss on her forehead wishing her goodbye. "Sure chief, let's get on it."

We saw the girls off and started off towards the valley. A new path had been cut near the town's square that led down to the valley. Later on we hoped to have a wooden bridge that would make it an easy walk down, but right now we still had to scale down Mother's Hill to get to the construction site.

The valley looked very different from the time I had first visited. The inn had been ripped apart and rebuilt from the inside out. I had called some friends from my university days over to help get the place modernized. Alex, my old roommate, was an Electrical engineer and a big nature lover. He was helping get the valley set up with Hydroelectric power via the large waterfalls that fed into the valley from Mother's Hill. He had brought a few guys over with him that we're helping the carpenters get the inn set up with modern stuff like wireless telephone service, and even internet access.

"Man this place is really taking shape." Cliff awed at the progress that had made thus far. I guessed he wasn't used to modern places like this.

"Jack glad you could make it out. We could use ya'll's help in the restaurant." Shoji the old master carpenter had known my grandfather really well. We had hit it off just telling stories back and forth at Duke's one night when we both decided to go in on restoring the valley. The investment had sucked up a lot of my trust fund, but I figured the return would be more than worth it…especially if I started a family down here.

"What you need done?"

Shoji pointed towards the kitchen area. "Zack brought in the kitchen's equipment the other day and were trying to get it moved into place while those city boys rig up the power for it. Me and my boys are busy upstairs trying to get the bedrooms ready."

"Sure"

Shoji walked off and I heard Cliff groan. "Why do we always get talked into doing the grunt work?"

I shrugged. "It's not like we have any special skills in this sort of thing."

"Aren't you an engineer or something?"

"Civil, I know a little bit about everything. Electricity, plumbing, woodwork, etcetera, but if I tried to butt in on Shoji and his crew I'd get a huge ear full. I'd rather just do this."

"Ah well you're the boss."

"Yep, besides us state boys don't do much anyways."

We both got a brief laugh out of that joke and started moving the appliances around the room. I was surprised when we got most of the large stuff in and running within a couple hours. It was getting really hot though, the AC hadn't been installed yet. I knew though if I let one word out that sounded like a complaint about the temperature Shoji would hear it and he'd start on one of those 'back in my day' stories that's more like a lecture. Grunting as Cliff and I sat down the second of two large sub zero commercial freezers; we both sat against it for a quick break as the electricians started getting the freezer hooked in.

"I don't get it."

"Huh?" Cliff's question came out of thin air.

"The head electrician guy, the one setting up that hydro plant, isn't he supposed to be a good friend of yours?"

I sighed as I let my forehead make contact with the freezer. I heard the compressor kick in when one of the electricians' flip the switch. The slight cold feeling helped me get over the heat. "Alex? He was a good friend of mine. Even lived with him for about a year." I hung my head remembering the hard times I had hit that year of my life. "At the time I had a pretty steady girlfriend. We broke up pretty suddenly and Alex got me started into some stuff that didn't really help me too much. We kind of parted ways when I decided I wanted to pick myself back up, and he wanted to just relax 24/7."

"So no big fight or anything."

I shook my head. "No nothing like that. I guess I just tied that low point of my life to a bunch of memories that involved him. When I left it I moved out to make something better of myself, and just wanted to leave everything of that life behind."

Cliff scratched his head. "Then why's he here?"

I laughed. "Well let's just say I didn't know anyone earthier than him, that and he's got a specialty in hydroelectric energy, and an electrician's license."

Cliff stood up and we started to move the final appliance, a commercial dishwasher, in. "Why do I think there's more to it than you're letting on?"

"Oh come on; let's just get this work over with ok?"

I didn't want to tell Cliff I was using Alex to check up on the islands new marijuana population. I was still worried about it with Kai around, and I wanted to make sure Karen didn't get tangled up in it again. I had told Alex where the plants were supposed to be, a cave somewhere near the hydroelectric site. It'd be easy to make an excuse to search the cave, and knowing Alex he'd love to get his hands on some free foliage. Not to mention he promised me he had something that could kill the plants and make sure nothing else would grow there.

"Yea sure whatever you say. Besides we better at least grab a shower or something before the girls get to the house. I can only imagine what Ann would say if I went on our date smelling like this."

We moved the dishwasher into place and the electricians' told us that was all there was left to be done. Heading off Cliff and I decided it was best we started to get ourselves cleaned up for fireworks, as it seemed the girls had something special planed for us.

"Jack?"

"Yea?"

Cliff looked a little embarrassed. I saw him take a brief glance around to make sure no one could hear us. "I overheard Ann and Karen talking after breakfast. I think there going to try and stay over tonight.'

That got my attention. "Now what made you think that?"

"Well they were in your room and I heard Karen say 'I'm glad Pappy had a double bed'."

"Oh come on Cliff that doesn't mean anything."

"But I heard Ann say right after her say 'But the other room only has two twin beds how is that going to work tonight?' that has to mean there planning on staying tonight."

He had a point. That pretty much was definite evidence the girls were planning on staying over. I didn't know why Cliff was so anxious about it though. "Well congratulations Cliff. You don't seem happy about it though."

Cliff kicked at a stone as we walked down the path towards the farm. "Well, ya know, it's just that I've never slept with a woman. Much less had sex with one."

"Was your first time with a man?" I laughed and Cliff took a playful swing at me.

"You wish. No, I've just really been moving around so much and stuff I never really had time for a relationship, or even a fling."

"Well be glad you never did the fling deal. Leaves something you'll have to explain down the road and you might get the gift that keeps on giving."

"Yea."

"So I'm guessing you're just nervous about losing your virginity or something?"

"Well I mean Ann told me she's a virgin too."

"Think about it man, its not like she's going leave you if you don't sleep with her. Just have fun and do what you're comfortable with. Just go with the flow and what needs to happen will happen."

"Guess you're right. How are we both going to sleep in that bed though?"

"Just use the pull out bed in the living room sofa. Me and Karen won't come in and I'll have her go check on ya'll first before I come out in the morning."

Cliff sighed. "Yea that'll work."

We reached the cabin and I threw Cliff a towel and rag. "Oh perk up. She loves you man. She's not going to pressure you or anything. Just get cleaned up."

"Yea, yea."

With Cliff in the shower I went into my room. Pappy's hope chest caught my eye and I decided to take a look at his diary again.

Flipping several pages back from the entry with the candle wax I decided to read more into my grandparents' relationship. I found an entry that looked like it was towards the beginning of their relationship.

_October 23__rd__ 1939_

_I was very nervous. The grocer's daughter, Megan, had accepted my offer to cook her supper, and I went over to her place to do so. She had just moved into her own place. It was small, and she was still getting unpacked. I had caught some fish I brought over with some special spices I had made from my grandmother's old recipe. I made the supper up with some shrimp and rice, and she praised it over and over. I was surprised when she had set up her coffee table with candles and lit them for a romantic atmosphere. Afterwards she let me hold her a little and even though it was late she agreed to go for a moonlit walk with me. I showed her a few of my secret spots and she was very surprised when I showed her a small pond I had found that fireflies liked to hang around. The setting was perfect for a romantic evening, and I was rewarded with a soft kiss on the cheek. I believe I'm falling in love with her, but I'm trying to keep myself from becoming too centered on her. My fall harvest is coming up soon and if I don't get a good pull this time around I may not be able to save enough over the winter to buy my spring seeds. I wished life were simpler. Duke had told me one of the ranch hands at her Uncle's farm was courting her also. He had more free time than I and I worry I'm going to lose this time. Only time will tell though._

I flipped through a few pages that didn't mention grandma. Then I found one that seemed pretty down.

_November 23__rd__ 1939_

_I ate my Thanksgiving meal alone today. I haven't been able to find Megan since our date a month ago. Duke had mentioned he had seen her with that ranch hand a few times, but I'm sure he was downplaying it for my sake. I was hoping I could invite her to supper tonight, but I never saw her. It's a tradition for women on this island to bring some sort of food to the man they admire on Thanksgiving Day, but I was disappointed I never saw her. I spent most of the early day and afternoon harvesting up the eggplant fields I planted middle of October. They turned out well so I should make enough to make it through winter and buy my seeds in Spring. A large part of me wants to see if I can save enough to buy Megan a nice Christmas present, but I'm not even sure if I've already lost her or not. Since I've finished my harvest for the season I'll try and find her tomorrow and get some fishing in._

I almost felt sorry for my grandfather. I know I would have if I hadn't known things turned out for the better later on. I closed the journal saving the stories for later. I didn't want the sad side of my grandparents' romantic adventure to dim my mood for the fireworks tonight. Even more important if what Cliff said was right, I needed to get my room together.

I looked around; everything was pretty much in order. If I was in the city I would have run out and bought a nice bottle of wine or something, maybe even some candles to set the mood. But in a place like Mineral Town those sorts of things weren't easy to come by on a whim.

I went over to my closet and pulled out the large box my father had sent me. It had my cell phone in it, but I left it off. I could pick up signal only at the top of mother's hill, so it wasn't worth keeping it on. My iPod, laptop PC, photo album, journal, a few change of clothes and nestled inside its range bag my Glock 19. I wasn't sure why my father had sent it, but it was nice to have none the less. I figured maybe sometime I'd take Cliff out into the woods and we'd fire off a few rounds into some target.

I heard Cliff get out of the shower and I grabbed one of the sets of clothes out of the box to wear.

A knock at the door grabbed my attention. "All your's boss, better hurry though."

"Yea, yea, you shower like a girl ya know. Took you forever."

"Well excuse me, if you don't mind I've got to go put on my makeup."

I reached down to the couch to grab a pillow and threw it at him into his room. "While I'm showering you should be thinking of some lines to use tonight."

All I heard was silence and I knew the thought of Ann spending the night was weighing heavily on Cliff's mind. I let things be and went to grab a shower. The hot water felt great and I knew I needed it as I saw the once clean water run down the drain with a brownish red muddy color. It didn't take me more than five minutes or so to get the shower over with. Grabbing the towel I quickly dried off and set about getting myself ready.

My dad luckily had sent over some of my better clothes. I put on a well worn pair of Wrangler blue jeans and a white undershirt. I combed out my hair a little and put on some deodorant, even adding a touch or two of my cologne 'Armani Code' on for a nice touch. When I was satisfied I threw on my dark blue polo/t-shirt from American Eagle and looked at myself in the mirror. Feeling under my shirt I pulled out the leather necklace I usally kept tucked under my shirt. My mother had worn a silver cross at all times, and when she died I had it set in leather and kept it around my neck for good luck. It went well with the shirt, and even gave me something to talk with Karen about.

A last check in the mirror and I was satisfied. It was a good thing too because a second later I heard the main door open and Ann squeal when she saw, for what must be the first time, Cliff dressed in something besides his adventure man leather getup.

"Looking nice Mr. Stud" Karen had seen me walk past my bedroom door from the living room.

I poked my head out and blocked myself with the door. "Wow you look beautiful Karen, sorry but I didn't know you'd be here this soon. I'm still getting dressed."

She smiled sheepishly. "Well can I come in?"

I felt a playful grin sneak up on my face. "Well I'm still naked."

"Even better" She pushed the door open and faked disappointment when she saw I was already dressed. "That's no fun, but you look really handsome."

"My dad sent over some clothes with some of my stuff awhile back. Never got the chance to wear it though; wouldn't stand up to the outdoors with all I do."

"Oh yes the hard working farmer," she gave me a tight hug and whispered in my ear, "my hard working farmer."

"As always" I whispered back. I grabbed a glance at the clock on the wall and saw it was already 6:30 in the afternoon. "We better get a move on if the fireworks start at 7."

Karen nodded. "Yep. I brought some wine with me. It's in a cooler outside."

Walking outside I saw she wasn't kidding. A nice sized cooler with a stack of Solo cups on top of it sat near the shipping bin. "You don't play around do you hun? How'd you lug that down here?"

She pointed out the wheels a moron wouldn't miss on the back of the cooler and the large handle on the front. "We do have some technology here, but since you're so concerned it's nice of you and Cliff to carry it to the beach."

Cliff and I both grabbed the cooler and just carried it. We walked down towards the beach, Ann by Cliff and Karen at my side lugging the small bag of Solo cups. "You remember doing this when we were kids?"

My memory of my childhood on the island was still fuzzy in some spots, but I did recall some memories of the fireworks festival in the summer. "Yea, but I don't think we had a cooler of wine."

"No, but we did always have plenty of sparklers and stuff to play with. We'd run up and down the beach all night till we were so tired we'd pass out and Pappy would have to carry us back."

"Now that you mention it I do remember Pappy lugging me back afterwards. It'll be nice to experience it again. It must be boring for you though."

Karen smiled. "No I actually look forward to it." She walked closer to me and bummed my shoulder with hers leaning over she gently kissed me. "I have someone special to watch them with again."

"Thanks for waiting."

She shook her head. "Thanks for coming back."

We set the cooler down in the sand and the girls threw a couple of towels down for us to sit on. I saw Ann cuddle right up with Cliff and they got comfortable each with glass in hand. Karen and I just laid back our arms crossing behind us. She reached over and got her and I a glass of the wine she had brought along. It was tasty and pinkish in color.

"So do you have anything like this in the city."

I nodded. "Of course, we do it for Independence day though."

"I guess that makes more sense. All of our festivals are set around harvest times though. It's hard to change it since we're still a farming community."

"This is more fun anyways. In the city everyone heads to the fair grounds and there are thousands of people there. They're all noisy, slam ass drunk, rude, and annoying. The fireworks are nice, but right afterwards everyone and their brother are trying to make it home and you end up sitting in traffic till one in the morning."

"Man guess it is better here."

I grabbed her hand and intertwined it with mine. "It sure is."

I saw a smile form on Karen's face, but before she could say anything a loud pop in the air caught our attention. The fireworks they put on here were great. If I remembered correctly the word around town was the old man that ran the drug store put them together every year. The colors were much brighter than in the city and the show was at a slower pace taking about a full half hour to finish.

I remember looking around afterwards and spotting Orlando and Kai looking straight at Karen and I just a few yards down the beach. I didn't know why but it gave me a pretty unsettling feeling; like they were planning something. I made a mental note in my head to ask Alex if he had found the weed stash yet tomorrow.

Soon after the end of the show the villagers started to pack up their things and leave. I was grabbing the cooler when I heard Orlando's voice. "Ms. Miller that fireworks show was fantastic; you villagers know how to put on a great show."

"Umm…thanks, glad you liked it."

"Kai and I we're wondering if you'd like to walk back with us home?"

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm going to be sleeping over at Ann's tonight. It's been a tradition of ours since we we're kids."

I saw Cliff stiffen when he heard Karen say that. The way she put it almost screamed 'I'm lying' and there was only one other place she could be figuring to lay her head down at tonight. I saw Kai sulk, but Orlando never lost face. "As you should, spending time with your friends after events such as these makes the evenings that more memorable. Kai let's hit up that bar you showed me I'm sure some of the villagers will be over there."

I saw Kai nod and the two left; I caught Kai looking back though. Guy looked like a knife had been stabbed through his chest.

"So you're heading to Ann's now?"

"No, I figured we'd go back to your place first and drink a little more. I'm barely buzzing and this is supposed to be a nightlong festival."

"Suits me, Cliff?"

"Uhh, yea sounds fine. Come on Ann let's get this stuff up and we'll relax back at the farm."

Ann and Karen quickly gathered the towels shaking off the sand while Cliff and I repacked the cooler. It wasn't ten or so minutes later we were back at the farm house and everyone had a Solo cup full of the Zinfandel wine Karen had brought over.

"To the start of summer. May the beaches be full, and may my boyfriend not screw up the summer's harvest."

"Hey!"

Karen giggled and we all clapped our drinks together and chugged them down.

"That's the spirit. Give me those glasses, this bottle is large and full, and it needs to be empty."

A couple glasses later Ann and Cliff were on the couch holding each other and talking about random things, sneaking a kiss every now and then. Karen and I sat at the counter in the kitchen.

"They look like their getting cozy."

"Ummhumm, doesn't look like Ann's going to want to go back to her house" Karen accentuated her point by staring at me seductively.

"Oh should I call Kai and Orlando over to get you two back home?"

"I think we can figure out a better way" She kissed me passionately "Don't you?"

I smiled. "Why don't you come with me and see if the rooms up to your taste."

"Jack Harvest, are you trying to get me into your bed room?"

I picked her up off the bar stool and carried her bridal style towards the room. She quickly grabbed some cups and the bottle of wine. "I'm not trying, I'm doing."

"Hehe, well do away!"

* * *

**Karen's POV**

I couldn't erase the smile off my face. Wiping down the tables in the bar I could see my own happy expression reflecting in the polished wooden table top. Memories of the night before flooded my mind, as well as seeing Jack as soon as I woke up. He had brushed my hair behind my ear like back when we we're kids and told me how beautiful I looked. It had filled me with warmth and content this morning and the happiness still carried through to now late in the evening.

Duke was behind the bar wiping down some glasses while patrons around the bar drank. Kai and Orlando were here with my father talking up a storm. It seemed Kai's cousin was a very gifted man when it came to social skills and was able to break my father's walls down and talk with him as if they had known each other for years.

"Karen, take these beers to your father's table will you."

"Sure Duke, no problem."

My cheerfulness didn't go unnoticed by the older bartender. My smile must have been contagious as I saw it spread to his face. "My, you're peppy today. Something good happen between you and Jack at the fireworks festival?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Duke rolled his eyes and went back to taking orders while I took the beers over to my father's table.

"Gotz, I had no idea a man like you had so many funny stories to tell. Karen you must hear what your father's been telling us about your childhood."

"Dad, are you embarrassing me again?"

"Oh hush, its just harmless things. Right Kai?"

Kai seemed a little down staring at his mug and sloshing the beer around in it. "Of course Mr. Miller."

"Hahaha, see Karen, nothing wrong."

I rolled my eyes and left the beers at the table. "Just don't get too drunk dad. I don't know if Kai and Orlando will be enough to carry you back home."

"Oh don't worry Karen I'm sure your father will be able to hold his own."

My dad beat his chest. "I'm an animal when it comes to my alcohol tolerance. Don't worry daughter I'll be walking home on my own two feet. If anything I'll be carrying these two."

I saw Orlando slap him on the back as I left. "We'll be counting on that Mr. Miller."

As the night went on the crowd at the bar thinned out. I noticed my father's table got quieter and quieter and as it neared closing time I noticed it looked like he had passed out. Luckily Kai and Orlando hadn't drank much and they we're able to help him out.

About a half hour later after wiping down the tables and cleaning the place up I clocked out with Duke and left the bar.

It was dark outside, and the town didn't have any lights to brighten up the path. The full moon shone out and filled me with memories of the night Jack and I shared that special dance that got us where we we're today. It was those memories that kept me from seeing my father walk up to me.

"You horrible person!" My father's shout startled me. When I turned to look at him his face looked red and he wasn't breathing right.

"Dad?"

My face burned as my father backhanded me with all his strength. I fell back and was slightly dazed but I saw my father still coming towards me. I felt tears run down my face. "Daddy?"

"You lousy skank, you slept with him didn't you!" I was surprised my father's loud voice didn't wake some of the neighboring villagers. He tried to kick me but I was able to move out of the way.

"I'm going to beat the whore out of you! I should have never trusted you!"

I got up and ran as my father's fist connected with my arm. The pain was horrible. I couldn't move it and knew it must be broken.

I heard my father behind me as I ran down the path towards Jack's house. My father caught up with me as I couldn't jump the fence with my arm broken and had to double back to the main entrance. He nearly got another slap in before I made it in.

Tears flowing from my eyes blurred my vision. I couldn't comprehend why my father was acting like this even if he had found out about Jack. I had no idea how he had found out though.

"You little slut hold still!" I saw the lights flick on in Jack's house, but my father was too close behind me for me to stop and open the door. "Ja…Jack help! Mo…Mother's Hill!"

I took off towards Mother's Hill and silently prayed Jack had heard me. I ran towards the nearly finished ramp that lead towards the valley and saw Kai and Orlando walking back up.

"Miss Karen."

"Kai…help…" I was weak and fell to my knees clutching my arm. I could barely see anything through the tears of confusion and the pain tormenting my mind.

"Are you trying to stop me? You're as bad as she is!" I saw a large shadow knock what must have been Kai down. Then another smaller shadow tackled the larger one and I felt it help pick me up by my good arm."

"Come on Karen we've got to run." Orlando helped me and Kai to our feet and we took off towards the valley.

"I know a boat we can use to quickly get to shore, we need to get you to a hospital on the mainland, you're bleeding badly."

I stopped and turned when I heard a gunshot. I was scared; I didn't know what had happened. Did my father shoot someone? Orlando pushed me onward and we ran towards the ocean.

"I patched this old boat up Miss Karen. We should be able to get you to safety soon."

I felt dizzy and I must have passed out as I couldn't remember anything more except for blackness.

…my life had changed.

* * *

_End_

_Thanks once again to Libra1 for going over this chapter. There were a ton of mistakes in this rough draft when I sent it to her. I got on a roll writing it, and just couldn't stop. But she didn't complain and got it right back to me, now that's giving 110 percent (I've noticed doesn't let you use the percentage symbol)_

_Remember to check out my message board for update notifications and to check how far along the rough drafts for your favorite stories are coming. It can all be found under the General Dragon's Blog section of the message board. To get to the site just click my website link in my profile._

_REVIEW! Personal reviewer thanks will be in the next chapter._

_P.S. JJBC and RWT are you the same person? Thanks so much for the reviews it just seemed odd you both went one right after the other with the same type of review. Not that I mind just curious. Thanks so much for being a great fan._


	13. Chapter 12: 180

**Chapter 12**

_180_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

I sat in the waiting room of the ER. My pistol was tucked into the small of my back held in by my belt. The cold steel scared me. I never thought I'd have to turn it on a person until I saw Karen's father.

Memories of him charging me on the walk bridge scared me as I had dodged a punch that had shattered the wooden walkway it had connected with. The second he got up and charged again I had fired. The laser targeting system I had installed in the gun saved my life and hopefully Mr. Millers as well as I had shot him in the shoulder and the pain must have made him pass out.

"Jack?" I looked up and saw Dr. Tim looking at me with the clipboard. "I gave your written report to Harris. He looked over the scene and cleared what you had told him. There's more I wanted to talk with you about though."

"Anything I can do to help."

"First the good news I was able to get the bullet out and it didn't hit anything major so he'll recover just fine. I did do a tox screen though and found a high level of antidepressants and triptan based drugs. I never prescribed either for Gotz. Do you know where he got them?"

I shook my head. "I didn't even know anything till I heard him shout at Karen and her crying for help. He looked like he was possessed though."

The doctor nodded. "The combination of antidepressants and those triptan drugs caused something called Serotonin Syndrome, the alcohol only intensified it. It makes you see things, raise your blood pressure, and can make you enraged. It looks like Gotz was drugged."

Karen's mother ran into the ER, tears we're coming down her face. "Doctor, what's happened?"

I nodded telling the doctor it was alright to leave me and I decided to walk around. What I was worried about most was where Karen was, and if she was ok. Harris had to be looking the scene over, and with the way the doctor was talking, Gotz wouldn't even remember what happened, and that's if he even did wake up.

I decided I wasn't going to be able to sleep if I thought Karen was in danger. I figured if Gotz was on the walkway to the valley Karen must have run that way to hide from him. It was summer and the night air was a very nice temperature. I would have enjoyed the moonlit walk under different circumstances…with Karen by my side.

I wasn't half way to the new hotel when I thought I smelt weed being smoked. I followed the trail into a wooded area north of the hotel. I was astonished when I saw a beautiful, clean pond that was glistening in the moonlight. I followed the smell to the top of the pond where it backed up to Mother's Hill and then towards the waterfall that feed the stream. The smell was intense now and I saw a cave up ahead._"This must be where Kai was growing it." _

I was scared Kai and his cousin might be up to no good and with the drugs the doctor had told me about I was highly suspicious. Karen had told me Kai and his cousin had been hanging around Gotz the whole day and she even mentioned they were planning on going to the bar with him that night. I cursed myself for not going along with her. She had even hinted she was going to be uncomfortable working with the three of them there.

I shook the thoughts from my head. If Karen was in danger I needed to be thinking clearly and focus or I might make the situation worse rather than better. I drew out the pistol and flicked on the laser. Gripping a small flashlight in my left hand I brought it around side of the pistol and shone it into the cave.

"Woah man, who turned on the lights?"

I quickly tucked the pistol back into my belt. "Alex? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hey Jacko! I'm just enjoying this Columbian guy's foliage."

"You met him?"

He nodded. "Oh yea, they kinda caught me snooping around. Was really nice bout it though. Said after today they wouldn't be needing it and I could just help myself."

That got my attention. "What do you mean not needing it anymore?"

"Well when they caught me they offered to let me try it out. We were all pretty blazed and he said Kai and him we're going to be hightailing it tonight with some girl back to the mainland. Said something about a row boat they had fixed up on the beach down here."

I dropped the flash light and ran towards Zack's. I was running so fast I wasn't looking where I was going and as luck would have it my foot got caught in the hole Gotz's fist had made and I hit hard, and blacked out.

"Jack…"

"…Karen?"

"No…Jack."

My eyes tried to focus and my senses slowly kicked in. The lights were bright and I saw Cliff, Ann, and the doctor.

"Cliff found you. He went looking for you when you didn't show up at your house, lucky for you. You suffered a pretty bad concussion."

"Karen, the boat!" I jumped up but got really woozy and quickly laid back down.

"Easy Jack you're in no shape. What are you talking about?"

My head felt like it was split in two. I covered my eyes to block out the light. "Alex…he talked to Kai and his cousin…said they were going to leave tonight…with Karen…go to the mainland…in Cliff's row boat…have to get Zack and search..."

I tried to rise up but I felt two pairs of hands gently push me back down. I opened my eyes and was surprised to see Cliff and Ann holding me back. Ann looked like she was going to cry. "Jack…you've been out for awhile. It's one in the afternoon."

The news hit me and it felt like someone had dumped me in a vat of ice water. "…she's gone."

"I'll go inform Harris, Jack. Don't worry we'll find her."

The doctor left the room. I just sat there and sulked. I knew we weren't going to find her. It's no doubt Kai's cousin had those drugs and had planned it out. He knew what to give Gotz to make him get enraged; he knew what he had to do and what the situation was from the letters Kai sent him. He knew they'd be making their escape that night. Heck Kai had probably been fixing that boat up for at least a week knowing what they'd have to do. He must have even taken it out and scouted out all those rocks Cliff had run up on.

What made matters worse is who Kai's cousin was. Columbian, expensive clothes, he reeked of a drug dealer. I know Kai said he was from North County, but I was sure he must reside in Durham, and that town just reeked of corruption. Orlando could probably get Karen a fake ID, fake papers, and make her disappear. Hell some of the cops are even dirty out there. She'd have no one to turn to.

I buried my face in my hands and felt hot tears work their way out of my eyes. I felt Ann's small hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong Jack, everything's going to be alright."

"She's right man. They found a small blood trail. Nothing serious, but they'd have to take her to a hospital or something. They'll call anyone a boat ride away and find her in a hot second."

I wiped the few tears that escaped my eyes and looked at both Cliff and Ann. "You remember how Orlando was dressed when he got here? All those fancy clothes; the expensive cell phone, everything. He came from the same poor family Kai did in Columbia. How do you think he can afford that sort of stuff?"

Ann looked puzzled. "What are you getting at Jack?"

"He's a drug dealer Ann. By the looks of it and from where he's from he must be big too. Probably cocaine."

Cliff came up to reassure me. "Oh come on man, I'm sure you're just jumping to conclusions."

"I guess you haven't heard about your Uncle yet. Gotz was drugged with some pretty powerful stuff you can't just pick up at the drug store, and unless you mail order it you're not going to find it on the island. Kai's cousin must have brought them over. Heck think Cliff you know how messed up your boat was. It must have taken Kai at least a week to fix it and scout out those rocks that wrecked you. They've got this all planned out. I grew up near a city that was full of people like Orlando. They control people Cliff, and I'm not just talking everyday people. They've got police in their pockets, doctors, government, all sorts of people. It'd be nothing for him to have fake papers and ID ready for Karen, make her disappear, and there would be no one for her to turn too…he's got her trapped."

Cliff looked stern. "Don't talk that way Jack. Aunt Sasha is just as upset as you, maybe even more. If she heard you talking like this she'd lose all hope."

I looked down. Cliff was right. "I know Cliff…it's just…it's just that I know what these people are capable of. I've gotta go make a call."

"Wait Jack the doctor said you need to rest."

"Then come with me and make sure I don't pass out. I've got to do this quickly. Every second I waste the less of a chance we have of ever finding her."

I walked as quickly as I could back to my cabin with Cliff and Ann. I tried to run, but when I felt like I was going to pass out again I slowed it down. It would only waste more time if I passed out. As soon as I got inside I rummaged around for my cell phone and thanked God when I found it and it was charged.

"We've got to get to Mother's Hill."

"Sure Um Jack…Ann give us a second?"

Ann left and I was confused. "What is it Cliff? I don't have time to waste."

"Yea I know man, I just didn't want Ann to see this." Cliff took my gun out from inside my shirt and handed it to me. I was embarrassed.

"Thanks Cliff, I'm sorry I'm so on edge. And thanks for finding me last night. Mighta been worse off if you hadn't."

Cliff slapped me on the back and I saw him smile for the first time today. "Don't mention it boss, and don't lose hope."

"Thanks." I opened the door and saw Ann in the kitchen waiting. I waved her on and we quickly left the cabin and went up towards Mother's Hill.

I quickly whipped out my phone when we got there and started walking around looking for a signal.

"Come on, come one. Get something for me." I tried to coax the phone into picking up some reception, and it must have heard me because I quickly got three bars. I punched in my home phone number and luckily after a few rings my dad picked up.

"Hello?"

"Dad, its Jack. Look I really want to catch you up and all that's been going on here, but something bad happened and I really need Vincent Vateli's phone number. I promise I'll call back and tell you everything once I speak with him."

"Sure son hold on one second." I heard him flip through his rolodex and I quickly grabbed a stick. He gave me the number and I wrote it down in the dirt. Thanked him and hung up then quickly dialed the number he gave me.

"Vateli Investigations, how can I help you?"

"Hi my names Jack Harvest, I need to talk to Vince?"

"Sure one second Mr. Harvest."

After a few beeps I heard the phone pick up. "Jack! It's been ages how you doing?"

"Not so good Mr. Vateli. I need your help."

I quickly detailed out everything that happened going into further detail when Mr. Vateli asked for it.

"You got a picture of these guys Jack?"

"I might be able to get you a picture of Kai, but I've got nothing on Orlando."

"That's fine. Look I'm going to have my sketch artist, Josh, call you later on so we can try and get an idea what this guy looks like. This number good?"

"No I'm afraid not. I'm on an island in the middle of nowhere, give me a second." I pulled out a piece of paper Shoji had given me. We had just gotten phone service hooked up to the hotel the day I helped move things in. "Call me at 827-884-2271. I'll be waiting at that phone for the rest of the day."

"Alright Jack, it'll be around 4:30 when he calls so you don't have to hang around all day. I'll get right on this."

"Alright, thanks Mr. Vateli."

"Jack, its Vince. We're going to do everything we can to help you out, just wait for that call."

"Alright thanks Vince."

"Anytime. I'm going to go ahead and file a possible kidnapping report and get a hold of Josh. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

I hung up.

"Any luck?" I could tell Cliff was just as worried about his cousin as I was.

"It's hopeful anyways. I hope she's alright."

Ann smiled. "After the way she talked about you today after last night I'm sure she'll come rushing back to you."

Cliff laughed. "Yea man don't worry, as long as she knows you're here no one could keep her from coming back."

I hadn't thought about that. It was true, she would want to get back as long as she knew I was here. I looked at the phone and decided I better call my dad back and let him know what was going on.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

Running, I had ran until my lungs were about to give out. Kai and Orlando kept pushing me and I had to ignore the pain in my arm.

"Orlando, she's bleeding pretty badly."

I looked at my arm and nearly passed out when I saw the broken bone had pushed through the skin and blood was seeping from the wound.

"Damnit, we'll have to get her to a hospital."

I was feeling week. Things started to get woozy. I felt faint. Then I heard a gunshot and it startled me. After that all I remember is blackness.

_"This isn't right. She'll be so depressed when she hears this."_ Kai was nearby, I could hear him. I had no idea where I was though.

_"It's for the best cousin, besides with the painkillers they'll put her on for her arm she'll brighten up. I'll have something set up when we get back to the city." _Orlando was here too. When I hear city I decided to push away the grogginess and try and wake up.

"I saw her eyes move she's waking up."

"Well don't just sit there, help her Kai."

I felt someone gently lift my head and place a few pillows under me so I could sit up a little. When my vision finally focused I saw I was in a hospital room, with an IV hooked to my good hand. The other was in a cast, and for some reason I felt really good.

"Look at that smile on her face, morphine does wonders doesn't it?"

"Morphine? Kai what's he talking about."

Kai looked sort of sheepish. When he didn't say anything Orlando butted in.

"We ran into when you were running from your father Karen. Your arm was pretty messed up and Kai and myself had to tackle your dad to help you escape. We took a boat to the mainland and got you to a hospital where you'd be safe."

I was shocked. I was off the island. "When can we go back?"

Kai sat down and put his face in his hands.

"We have to go back Kai. Jack has got to be worried about me."

"Karen, you don't remember the gunshot?" Thinking back I did recall what Orlando was talking about. Just before I passed out I remembered a gun going off. The morphine was keeping me from thinking straight though so I didn't make the connection.

"Yea, what's that got you all looking so gloomy for?"

"Well it's just that…"

"Orlando be quiet let us get her home first!" Orlando's mouth hung open. He was just as surprised as I was at the normally quiet and easygoing Kai losing his cool.

"Sure cuz, look Karen there's a few things we do need to go over right now though ok?"

"Sure."

"Now I want to ask you, do you trust us?"

It was either the morphine, or my bad sense of judgment, but with a smile on my face I nodded.

"Good, because what we've had to do for you is going to sound a little odd at first. We'll explain everything though once we get back to my place."

I got a little worried when he mentioned his place. When Kai said get me home I figured he meant the island, not Orlando's house.

"You were in really bad shape when we got you here, and you lost a lot of blood so we had no other choice but to get you to a hospital. Right now there's a big mess over on the island and to get you're the proper medical attention we had to come up with a false name and other information for you."

"…ok." It made sense a little, and Orlando hadn't done anything to make him seem untrustworthy in my eyes. He was right though; this was getting a little weird.

"You're new name is Megan Yates. You live with Kai and me in North County."

"That's all I need to know?"

"Yea, also don't let the doctor think you received these injuries because of a fight or something or it'll cause a lot of problems. We just summed it up saying you fell off our roof when you got drunk last night."

"Jee thanks, that makes me look real smart."

Orlando laughed. "I'm very sorry, but its better then letting them snoop around."

A knock at the door startled Kai, but Orlando kept his cool.

"Ms. Yates? I'm Dr. Stevenson I've been overseeing your case." I saw him take a quick look at Kai and Orlando. "I'm going to have to ask your friends to leave for the next part please."

Orlando stood and motioned for Kai to follow him. Kai hesitated a little but left. The doctor watched them close the door and then turned back to me.

"Ms. Yates your friends informed me that your injuries were caused by yourself after drinking a little too much, is that true?"

"Yes doctor."

"Ok, and I'm required to inform you should these injuries been caused by either of these two men or if you feel threatened we will take you into protective custody. Are you sure everything's fine?"

"Yes doctor."

"Good, now your free to leave now, but I'll need to get you set up for a follow up where ever your living at. Let's see…" He looked over my file and I saw him scowl.

"It seems your follow up will be handled by my colleague in North County, Dr. House."

"Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing. Dr. House is just a little…anti-social. It's nothing for you to worry about. I'll fill out your discharge papers and let your friends back into the room to help you pack. A nurse will be up soon with a wheel chair to help you out."

Sure enough before I knew it I was packed, whisked out, and sitting in the back of a normal looking car, with Orlando driving, Kai sat next to me in the back. He was sweet, but this was all getting to be a bit much. I'm sure I would have protested if it wasn't for the morphine still working its magic.

"So where are we going?"

Orlando smiled at me through the rear view mirror. "I've got my private jet picking us up in Beaufort, then it's a half hour flight to North County."

"Cousin I thought you said you lived in another town?"

"Technically I do, it's called Durham. My house is in North County, but I practically live at my place of business. It's one of the largest night clubs in the city. It's called Extasis I'll have to show it to you some time."

Even the morphine couldn't hide my discomfort now. He was talking like this wasn't going to be just some vacation, it sounded more permanent. I couldn't do that, in fact it was taking every ounce of will power to keep from screaming at them to find a pay phone so I could call Jack and let him know I was alright. The chance to hop into a private jet was pretty exciting though. Then I remembered from the hospital, there was something Orlando had wanted to tell me when I asked about going back home.

"Orlando, what was it you were trying to tell me back at the hospital."

I saw Orlando look at Kai through the rear view mirror. Kai shook his head and Orlando waved him off. "Don't worry about it right now chica, I'll show you everything on the plane. You're going to want to be comfortable when you hear this."

This was getting weirder and weirder by the second. Sure I trusted the guys, they had saved my life last night, but something just didn't seem right.

My line of thought got interrupted when we pulled up to the small local airport. A very large business jet sat waiting for us and I couldn't believe my eyes. "Holy crap Orlando how can you afford something like this?"

I saw him smirk. "Let's just say the nightlife business in Durham pays well. Come let's get you on board, its many times more impressive on the inside. "

I saw him snap at one of the pilots who came over to the car and removed our bags from the rental cars trunk. He quickly took them over to the plane. I followed between Kai and Orlando up the boarding ramp and into the cabin.

Orlando was right the plane was like a palace on the inside. There was a huge flat screen TV, a huge bed in the back, and even a bathroom with shower. I never thought planes had stuff like these.

"Would you like to watch a movie or play a video game while they're preparing to take off?"

I walked over to one of the large plush leather seats and sat. "Actually I'd like you both to just tell me what you've been keeping from me. If it's keeping me from going home I have a right to know."

I saw Kai nod at Orlando. Orlando went and picked up something that looked like a small computer and tapped it a few times. The large TV screen came to life and it had a news web site on it.

"Karen that gunshot you heard last night caused a huge ruckus." He highlighted a story on the screen that read 'Murder on Small Island'.

"Holy crap someone died?" I noticed Kai looked kind of uncomfortable. Orlando tapped a few more times on his 'computer pad' and the story loaded up.

"I think you should just read it Karen, I don't like giving bad news."

I nodded and looked over the story.

_Today a small village called Mineral Town located on a small barrier island in NC had tragedy strike them. For an unknown reason one of the local residents, Gotz Miller, became enraged after a night of heavy drinking and attacked his daughter, Karen Miller. His daughter ran around town trying to get help and managed to alert her boyfriend and run to a local area known as 'Mother's Hill' while trying to allude her father. The girls boyfriend whose name is not being released at this time was a newer resident to the island and had just recently started working on his late grandfathers farm. Worried for Karen's safety and not knowing the situation close friends told us he took off for 'Mother's Hill' with his handgun. The young man's farming hand, Cliff Miller, said he darted for the Hill when he heard the gunshot. He found the girl's boyfriend in a pool of blood dead. The father Gotz Miller claims the gun went off in a struggle, and the local Dr after a detailed examination said Mr. Millers rage was caused by a violent panic attack that he is now treating Mr. Miller for. Details will follow at a later date after the young man's surviving family is notified._

The first feeling that hit me was coldness. Then my body seemed to go numb. I couldn't believe it, Jack was dead? With Jack gone and my father now some violent lunatic there was no way I could go back to the island. I felt tears start to form in my eyes, but I wouldn't get a chance to wipe them away. The shock of the news overcame me and I felt myself drift off, fainting in my chair.

* * *

_End Chapter 12_

_Wow this story has really taken off. I'll admit after the first few chapters I was thinking I would never finish it, but now its getting closer and closer. Thanks again to Libra1 for her continued work on this story! Don't worry there's much more in store for you all before this thing concludes. I might do a little editing to the first chapter to make things flow a little easier. Now onto reviewer thanks!_

**JJBC & RWT:**Yea I'm afraid all I've figured out is that you're both the same person. I'm glad you seem to be enjoying this story. Please keep up the reviews their most appreciated. I really do wish there were more Jack x Karen fics on but I can't force people to write them. Especially since it seems Karen and the rest of flower bud isle's characters aren't going to be in any of the new games. I'm honored you consider me the best thing out there, but I have to point out numerous other stories that deserve credit too. One of which is called "A Million Pink Roses" the author seems to have given up on it since it was last updated in 2005. There are numerous others that have been left unfinished! If this story does anything search out those unfinished stories and FLOOD THEM WITH REVIEWS! It might make the author think twice about giving up on their story.

**DoubleKK: **Can't kill him off now can I? I guess I did kind of leave a bit of suspense in the ending of that chapter. Don't worry Jack's not going anywhere, he still has a lot to do.

**DemonDude12:**Ending? Opps I meant to put End of chapter 11. I guess that could trip ya'll up. No this story has a long ways to go. Hope to see another review from you in this chapter.

_To all my other readers who didn't review PLEASE DO! Nothings better than to hear your work is appreciated! To all of ya'll who are busy with exams good luck with them I know how tough they are hell I'm in college! I'd wish ya'll a Merry Christmas, but there will be at least one more chapter out before then. Remember to check the message board for writing updates!_


	14. Chapter 13: Fallen

**Chapter 13**

_Fallen_

* * *

**Jack's P.O.V.**

It's the middle of August, and I still don't have her back in my arms. The village for the most part has moved on. The only time Karen's name is brought up is when people think I can't hear it, same goes for Karen's family. She's now the poor victim of the village's rumor machine. It didn't matter to me though; I had my memories of her and thought about them daily.

The farm was holding its own, but I hadn't really been able to spend too much time on it so it hadn't expanded past the ten or so fields we had going now. It wasn't that hard to take care of, just throw the water and the food in the irrigation system in the morning, set the timer, flip it on, and my job was done. Cliff took care of our single Chicken, and helped me look over the plants once a week or so.

The valley had really taken off. The inn opened up and we'd always have at least one or two families staying there looking to see what old farming town life was like. Of course the inn was outfitted with very modern equipment so they could retire to a setting they were used to instead of living in this near Amish community 24/7. I liked it though, but I'd like it more if Karen were here.

"Hey boss, how's it hanging?" Cliff was staying with Ann in my place starting right after the fourth of July. I had made Ann one of the managers of the inn and figured Cliff and her would move into a room there, but I guess they were worried about me.

"Good as it can be, how's Nugget?"

"Are you sure you wouldn't enjoy a nice chicken dinner boss? I mean she only lays one egg, it's almost not worth it."

I smiled. Cliff and Ann had both developed a talent of raising my spirits. I thanked God I had friends like them.

"If Karen ever found out…" I cut myself off. I had a bad habit of bringing her up like she was going to be back the very next day. It embarrassed me, and made me look desperate.

"Look boss, I'm sure she's fine. Just give that investigator guy of yours some more time."

"Yea, you're right Cliff, thanks."

"No problem. I'll leave the chicken alone but if one day the door magically gets left open and a fox gets to her don't go pointing fingers at me."

I laughed. "Well if that's the case I'd rather Nugget magically pop up on my kitchen table baked and ready to eat."

"I'll be sure to tell the genie."

We both laughed and Cliff walked off towards the inn to help Ann out. I started the irrigation system up and took a look around the fields to make sure the crops were growing alright. It was the end of summer and I'd be getting my last harvest out of my corn later on in the week. I made enough money off the farm to live nicely, and with the stock investments and trust fund I had back in the city I could easily get more money if I needed it for like a family or something.

_"Damnit"_ No matter how hard I tried it only took a dash of day dreaming to bring Karen back to the front of my mind.

I walked around the farm a little more inspecting the barns and crops to make sure everything was the way it needed to be. I was about to step into my house and grab a quick nap when someone walked up on me.

"Jack?"

I turned around and smiled when I saw Karen's father Gotz. "Hey Mr. Miller, that time already?"

He laughed. "You must be slowing down on your chores Jack. Usually you've finished long before I show up."

"Yea…just had a lot on my mind today."

The smile on Gotz's face disappeared. "I know what you mean. Come on, I hear the fishing is really good up at Mother's Hill this week."

You might think it was strange that I was getting along so well with a guy I had nearly killed a few months ago. The truth is we both had something each other wanted. Gotz had memories about Karen I never knew of, the things she did after I left, how she grew up, everything. I had my memories I shared with Karen, the plans we had talked about, and of course the updates from the city on her search. We had set aside our differences a few days after the accident. He still blamed himself for it even after everyone had told him Kai and Orlando had drugged him. I remember how horrified he looked when he woke up and Mrs. Miller had told him what happened. He started going back to church, laughing and smiling more, and even gave up drinking.

Even better news I had gotten Alex to look at the vineyards plants since the grapes they were producing weren't making the best wine. After a little adjustment in the fertilizer and watering schedule the grapes were tasting much better and things were looking up for the harvest at the end of summer. Mr. Miller and I were working desperately to get tons of stores in and near North County to carry the wine when it shipped. We hoped it would get Karen back, but that was months down the road.

"So Jack what was on your mind today?"

"I dunno, today makes it two months you know. I'm starting to get a little frustrated."

He got quiet for a few seconds and then cast his line in. "You know my dad always told me the life is a lot like fishing."

"I don't follow."

Gotz smiled. "Think about it, when you fish, you want to catch a fish right? But you can't just always throw your line in and get a fish can you?"

"No."

"Think of the ocean as your life, and the fish as your desires. If you only cast out once or twice you might not even get that fish, but if you sit out here day after day and cast after cast and keep going for it you'll eventually catch that fish you want. It's when you give up there's no hope, as long as you keep trying there's always hope."

"Thanks Mr. Miller."

"Oh come on Jack we've been doing this every day since Karen left. Call me Gotz." He paused for a second and smiled. "When she comes back you'll have to start calling me dad."

I blushed and threw my line in. "You always do know how to push my buttons."

He slapped me on the back. "It's part of being a father in law Jack."

I smiled. For some reason talking with Gotz about Karen made it seem like she was only on vacation for awhile, and we both knew she was coming back. I missed her dearly, but I knew Gotz missed his daughter just that much more. He'd love nothing more than to talk about her as we fished, and he'd always stop in his story every now and then and point out the things he regretted doing to her.

"You know her first high school dance she almost didn't go."

"Why?"

"Pappy had talked about going to see you the weekend of the dance for your 16th birthday. I had given Karen some money to buy a dress, but when she heard about Pappy's plans she was pretty set about using it to get to the city to see you."

I was surprised; I had thought Karen had forgotten about me a few years after I left. "Really?"

"Yep, Pappy never went though. Said he came down with a cold, but I knew he just didn't want to break Karen's heart."

"Huh?"

Gotz's smile could have ripped his face off. "Karen kept casting her line in over and over hoping her hook would make it all the way to North County and reel you back in. Pappy knew though your dad wouldn't let you leave, and her seeing you again would only make matters worse. He took care of her as if she were his own granddaughter."

"My grandfather always has a special place in his heart for her. My mom too."

"Oh? I knew about Pappy, but where does your mother come in Jack?"

"Well you see there's this song that's passed down through my family. My great grandmother wrote it, its kind of a weird tradition. She sang it to my great grandfather, and when she had Pappy she gave the song to the girl she wanted Pappy to marry. Then she sang it to Pappy and then when my mom was born Pappy gave her the song to sing to my dad. Then just before my mom died she gave the song to Karen to sing at the Christmas pageant tryouts, but my ma knew I'd be at the tryouts so she was really giving it to Karen to sing to me."

"So you're saying your mother knew you and my daughter were meant for each other when you were that young."

"Yea…I guess."

Gotz laughed. "That Amanda she always was a matchmaker. She's the one that set me up with Sasha. I swear she could spot a couple years before they ever admitted anything for each other."

"Really?"

"Oh yea, and she was a looker too. She got good at matchmaking because she'd always set the guys that went for her up with someone else."

"Are you saying you hit on my mom?"

"No, no, like I said she was a looker though. Your mom went with Jake to the mainland one weekend to find a college. Your grandfather wanted her to get some higher education, even if it was just a two year degree. I remember Jake came back all flustered because some young tour guide had swept Amanda off her feet and now she was dead set on attending that university. Your dad sure worked his charm on her fast. Heck the guys on the island were thinking no one would ever get to Amanda."

"Yea I'm glad it turned out alright for them."

Gotz slapped my back with his free arm keeping his pole steady in the other. "Don't worry Jack she's coming back. You just keep that farm going; you gotta have some way to support my daughter and your family when the time comes right?"

I smiled. I knew Gotz was hurting inside, but he never let anyone see it. He had done a complete 180 a few weeks after Karen left. He joked, talked, and laughed tons more than he used to. I wished Karen was back, she'd be so happy to see him like this. Maybe that was his secret. Every time I mentioned Karen, Gotz always acted like she was going to be back any time. Optimism was an important thing to have in times like these; I just couldn't bring myself to look at it that way though.

"I guess I should be thinking about that."

"Damn right you should my boy; I can't have my daughter marry off into poverty."

I felt the line jerk and I quickly pulled up to set the hook.

"Would you look at that? Reel that thing in Jack, we've got supper tonight!"

The rod looked like it was going to break in half; the fish must have been huge. I fought and fought pulling up and reeling down. Suddenly it became easy to reel and I thought the fish had gotten off. I kept reeling the line in and was happily surprised to see a large fish still on the hook. Gotz grabbed it with the net and put it in the cooler we had brought along.

"My gosh, I haven't see a flounder that big in ages. Come on let's take it to Duke to cook up. I'll grab the wife and you bring Cliff and Ann by, we'll have a feast tonight!"

For once in a long while I was happy. Having close friends like this always made bad situations easier to handle. The only downside of this place I could think of is that it was so small I could always find something that reminded me of Karen.

_"I need to stop moping, no matter where I was if I keep in self pity I'm always going to be thinking of her."_

I grabbed the cooler and went with Gotz to drop off the fish with Duke. The old bartender was amazed at the size of the fish and agreed to clean and cook it up for us if we let him in on the meal. We had already planned for that and happily asked him to join us. Afterwards Gotz went to get Sasha and I went to get Cliff and Ann.

Stopping by the house I saw Cliff was already there, but I was surprised Ann wasn't around. I looked at Cliff and he had a nervous look on his face. When he spotted me he quickly walked up to me.

"Boss, I wanted to run something by you and see what you thought."

"Sure, what's up?"

Cliff looked around to make sure no one was nearby. It was weird how paranoid he was acting. He reached into his pocket and brought out a small grey velvet box, a jewelry box. I quickly put one and one together, but I let Cliff tell his story.

"Ann and I have been living together for a season now, and I met with her dad last week to get the green light." He looked so nervous his head could pop off. "I wanted to ask, do you think I'd make a good husband for her?"

I had to keep myself from laughing. Cliff looked like a little kid standing there waiting for my answer. I didn't know why he was so unsure of himself, but I wasn't about to let him down. "Cliff if you're not good enough to be Ann's husband then there's no man on this Earth that is. You'll be a great husband, and I'm sure Ann's father saw that too otherwise he wouldn't have given you the ok."

Cliff looked relieved. "Thanks man, I really appreciate it. I'm just so nervous about asking her. When and where should I do it?"

The dinner that night quickly came to mind. It would be a perfect setting with everyone relaxing and telling stories. I'd have to invite Ann's father over of course, but I was sure there was enough fish to go around as long as I brought over some veggies to go with it. Looking at the corn I was sure I could nab a few ears without too much trouble and use them as a side dish.

"Well Cliff, tonight we're having a big meal over at Duke's. Me and Mr. Miller nabbed a pretty big fish this afternoon and Duke's cooking it up for us. I was just going to invite you and Ann, but I'm sure there's enough for Mr. Green as well. Why not ask her tonight? She always did see Sasha as a mother figure to her. You can't lose."

"That soon boss?"

"There's no point in putting it off. Sides it's just going to get harder the longer you put it off, and it's not like she's going to say no."

"She could."

"Cliff, she's not going to say no."

"But what…"

"Cliff she won't."

"But if…"

"Cliff, just go grab some corn off the stalks. I'll handle the rest."

A few hours later we were all gathered around the table at the bar. It had been closed off for the dinner as I had clued Duke and Gotz in on what was happening between Cliff and Ann.

"Cliff are you alright, you look like you're going to sweat to death." Duke teased him even though he knew what Cliff was so nervous about."

"No…no sir I'm fine."

"Oh come on Cliff its Duke, not sir."

"Sorry, Duke."

Everyone laughed except for Ann. I could tell she was worried about Cliff. She had no idea of course why he was acting so strangely.

The supper went off wonderfully and the fish and corn tasted great. Gotz told some old stories about him and Sasha dating and even a few about my mother. He made sure not to mention Karen, not just for my sake, but he didn't want to spoil the mood for what was going to be such a special night for Ann. Sasha and Ann stood up and grabbed our plates taking them to the sink. Cliff looked at me and I nodded signaling him this would be the perfect time.

When Ann came round to grab his plate he gently grabbed her wrist. She looked confused, but I saw tears come to her eyes when Cliff got down on one knee and brought out the ring box.

"Ann, you know I love you."

She was speechless, all that came out was "Uh, huh."

"And you know I want you to be happy."

Again the red head was at a loss for words. "Uh, huh."

"Would you give me the chance to make you happy for the rest of your life and become my wife?"

Tears fell from her eyes and her face was red. Cliff opened the ring box displaying a simple single diamond engagement ring. Ann couldn't hold back the tears as the poured down. "Yes! I will!" She grabbed onto him in a tight hug and we all clapped for them.

Even though I missed Karen, it was moments like this that reminded me I still belonged here.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

I hated the chalky taste of the pills when I put them in my mouth. I had gotten so used to taking them I didn't really need water to swallow them down, but those few times I messed up left my mouth tasting like I had swallowed a box of chalk.

Vicodin was my addiction now. My doctor had given it to me for my broken arm, but of course cut me off, saying the substance was too addictive. Luckily Orlando's nightlife business allowed him to dip into the drug market and he always had some for me. He was nice about it too he didn't make me do anything for the pills, he just kept them to make sure I didn't take too many. Truth be told, they were starting to lose their effect.

No I didn't take them for pain, not the physical kind anyway. The pills kept me happy, and that in itself was a miracle. After reading about Jack's death I had this huge hole in my heart. I had felt complete when we had finally admitted our feelings for each other. Now that was gone. My family was gone, my father having driven me away, and I couldn't stop blaming myself for Jack's death. If I had just taken my beating and not gotten him involved Jack would be alive.

"Karen, we're almost there, you ready?"

I nodded. Orlando had driven me out to the hospital for my check up. It was going to be the highlight of my day since my cast was supposed to be taken off. I had told Orlando and Kai I could just get Orlando's driver to take me to the hospital but Orlando insisted on taking me himself. I had noticed Kai didn't seem pleased when Orlando announced he was taking me alone, and I even heard them shouting for awhile in Spanish after I left the room.

But whatever the problem was it had been settled and currently I was sitting in a car parked outside North County's main hospital.

"What's wrong? You look nervous."

I'll admit I was. The doctor back in Morehead City didn't seem too gung hoe about this doctor, and with my mood as delicate as it was. "The doctor back in Morehead, he didn't really seem to think a lot of this doctor."

"Nonsense, this guy is known all over the world. He's the best Diagnostician in the country."

"But Orlando, I already know what's wrong with me. I don't want someone poking around my body looking for stuff."

"No, no he's just going to look at your arm. Don't worry about it. I'll be there the whole time."

Now I was uncomfortable. Lately Orlando had been acting a little more protective of me than I thought he should. He had also been getting into some pretty heated arguments with Kai, and I could always tell I was the main subject. _"I hope he's not planning on hitting on me…I better keep my distance."_

"Actually Orlando, would it be alright if I just stayed in the examination room?"

"Of course, I just meant I'd be in the waiting room if you needed me."

He tried to play it off cool but I could tell he was a little miffed. We sat down in the waiting room and Orlando went to the front desk to check me in. They directed me towards the emergency room so I could get some x-rays and possibly have the cast removed.

Sitting in the waiting room my mind started to wander as I felt the Vicodin start to kick in. Fond memories of the short month Jack and I had together flooded my mind and brought a smile to my face. My favorite memory was actually the night it had all started. I fished out the iPod Orlando had bought me the other week and scrolled through the music till I got to the song 'Heaven (Candle Light Remix)' it filled my ears and I closed my eyes letting the scene play over in my mind.

I was just to the part when Jack was about to kiss me when I felt a nudge shaking me from my day dream. "Megan they just called you back." Orlando pointed to a nurse looking at me, clipboard in hand.

I stood and walked over towards her and sat in a side room. They quickly took my blood pressure, asked if I was on any medications, and asked a few other questions about allergies. Of course the entire time I was referred to as Ms. Megan Yates, my false name. I was growing to hate it and I just wanted to scream out 'I'm Karen Miller!' to everyone. It was kind of weird though, I remembered Pappy's wife's name was Megan, coincidence I guess I'm going by the same name as Jack's grandmother.

They moved me to an examination room and I just sat there and my mind drifted off again. I was still feeling pretty good off the painkillers, but for some reason my mind decided it wanted to think on more recent events.

I remembered getting to Orlando's house for the first time and being shocked. It was huge, gated, and very lavish. He had a pool, a huge living room with a big TV and home theater system, computers, gadgets, ornately decorated bedrooms, a huge kitchen, and even servants. When Kai and Orlando left to take care of their business I got to know a lot of the hired help. They knew my real name, but I was careful not to tell them how I had gotten here, not wanting to set off any of the alarms. Jeeves, yes like the website, was the old butler. He'd always take me out places I wanted to visit, and knew the city very well. Vince was the hired body guard, he was huge, and he always would mainly stick with Orlando. However many times when I'd want to go out Orlando would send him with me. It was kind of a nuisance, but I quickly learned how dangerous Durham became at night and learned to be thankful for the guy's services. Luigi was our cook, and he could cook literally anything. If he didn't have what he needed I'd always go out with him to get the ingredients at the local grocery store. He was impressed with my wine selection skills and I always tried to watch what he did when he cooked. He had promised me once I got my cast off he'd teach me how to cook. Lydia the old maid was perhaps the closest thing I had to true girlfriend in that house. I'd talk to her hinting at my past, trouble with my parents, and other things. She'd always tell me stories about when she was younger some of them were pretty scary from when she had been in France during WWII. How she had escaped from the Nazi's and lost her father.

_"Sure is taking this doctor awhile…"_

I kicked my feet back and forth against the table I was sitting on. The room was pretty cold, but I was determined to get this cast off. Kai had been getting a little more daring in his advances with me lately. He had bought my roses last night trying to say it was a celebration getting my cast off, but I knew he was trying to test the waters on how I felt for him. I was nice to him, but I wasn't ready to get into a relationship with anyone else yet. In fact a large part of me just never wanted to get involved with anyone. Orlando was throwing his weight around more with Kai too. I could tell he'd get frustrated with him after Kai would try stuff to woo me. I wasn't sure if he got angry at him thinking his ideas were stupid, or if he wanted me for himself. They always argued in Spanish so I couldn't understand.

"My, my, so since Ms. Yates has money I'm stuck as your doctor."

I looked up and a tall man with a cane stood in front of me. He looked like he was in his forties. Button down shit with the two top buttons left undone, coat and pants, and a scruffy face with uncombed hair. When I didn't answer him he scrutinized me with his eyes, getting a little closer to me then I'd like.

"You're eyes are going in and out of focus. Are you taking any drugs?"

"No."

"Humm, defensive." He took a pill bottle out of his jacket pocket and popped the top. He pulled out two pills and held them up to me. "Sure you're not taking something that looks like this." I was amazed it was Vicodin. He popped both pills into his mouth and swallowed them. "It's not like I care or anything, I was going to prescribe you some to deal with the muscle soreness you'll have after you get your cast off, but it looks like you've already got some."

I didn't answer. It didn't seem like I needed to.

He looked over my file and his eyes seemed to catch something interesting. "Ah this explains it you're living with Orlando Escobar, Durham's biggest drug lord."

He must have seen my eyes go wide in surprise. I knew Orlando dipped into the drug market, but I didn't know he was a drug lord.

"Looks like you didn't know, oppsie. Let's keep that between us ok? I'd rather not end up dead in some ally. I won't mark your Vicodin addiction down in return."

I nodded and I saw him smile. "I knew it, you are popping Vicodin."

He had caught me, but I had him caught too. "Yes, but you aren't going to mark it down if I keep my mouth shut right?"

"Yea, yea. There was another thing that sparked my curiosity. You said you took a nasty fall off your roof when you were drunk. But the x-rays don't tell that story, see?" He took the x-rays out and put them on a light board. "You see the break comes from the inside out. If you fell on your arm it'd be the other way around. This looks more like a defensive injury of some kind."

"Please don't."

"Don't worry, all you have to tell me is that they guys you're living with didn't have anything to do with it and you're safe. Not that it's a big concern of mine, but it's kind of a legal thing."

"I'm not in any danger."

"Good, keeps my insurance rates down. Let's see Dr. Case would be the best choice to help you get your cast off."

"Thanks doctor."

"But I think I'll have Dr. Cameron give it a try, only fair to give her some practice right?"

Asshole didn't begin to describe this guy, but I had to go along with it. "What exactly happens?"

He ignored me and grabbed the phone. "Dr. Cameron please report to the emergency room ward stall number six, I'm giving you another shot at cast removal." He looked at me and smiled. "Let's try not to nick the patient with the saw this time ok?"

He hung up and grabbed his cane. "Don't worry the whole process is pretty painless. But on the upside if she does slip with that saw you're already on painkillers."

He left and I was alone in the exam room again. The Vicodin used to keep my mind on happy thoughts, and let me block out anything I wanted, but it wasn't doing that anymore. Tears started to come to my eyes as I went back to the scene of that faithful night, when Jack confessed his love for me. The feeling of him close to me while that song played; the air gently blowing around us; even with the tears slowly falling down my cheeks I smiled when I remembered his face when I silenced him with my finger. He had looked so scared that I was going to reject him, and then he had looked so happy when I told him how I felt.

"Are you alright Ms. Yates?"

I was startled. I hadn't noticed the young woman walk into the room. She was holding a clipboard with what I guessed was my file. "Are you Dr. Cameron?"

"Yes, I'm sorry about Dr. House. His personality is pretty infamous around here. Don't worry I've never messed up a procedure as simple as this."

I felt a little better. "That's good to hear."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but were you crying? You aren't in any pain are you?"

I shook my head. "No I'm fine."

"Alright then we'll get this cast off your arm then." She propped my arm up on a table and grabbed when looked like a small circular saw. She must have seen how nervous I was because she pulled the saw back.

"I promise I'm not going to hurt you, it's really easy to do. All I use the saw for is to cut through the plaster, you've still got a lot of cotton fiber underneath I won't even be touching."

I still didn't relax any. It was hard I mean that saw was still going to be close to my arm. "It helps to talk while it's going on." She put the saw near my arm and held on to me with her spare hand to make sure I didn't flinch. "Having guy problems?"

"Huh?"

She smiled and started to slowly cut off the cast. "Problems with a guy, I know you were crying when I came in."

My head hung a clear sign to her she had hit the bull's eye. "Yea."

"Tell me about it, if you want?"

I shook my head. "There isn't much to tell, he isn't around anymore."

She continued to cut. "Ran off on you? That's horrible."

She stopped when she felt a tear touch her arm. I was embarrassed but I couldn't hold it in. "No…he's dead."

She looked up at me and I don't know why, but she just hugged me. I hugged her back and just stood there for about a minute. I hadn't been able to reach out to anyone since I had gotten here and it was horrible. Even if she was just a doctor, it felt great to have someone to lean on.

"Ok I'm ready."

Orlando jumped out of his chair. He had fallen asleep since it had taken me over an hour to get the whole procedure finished with. Dr. Cameron stood behind me with my discharge information.

"You should be fine, but if you experience any discomfort or anything my number's in there to get a hold of me."

I looked in the file and smiled when I saw she had written her cell phone number onto the discharge papers. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

When we got to the car Orlando looked at me suspiciously. "Have you been crying Karen?"

I thought about covering it up. Telling him I had gotten nicked or something when they took the cast off. But he'd see through it, and it would only make it worse covering it up.

"The Vicodin isn't doing it anymore. I can't stop thinking about Jack." I looked out the window not wanting to make eye contact with Orlando. "It's been making me pretty depressed lately."

"Don't worry about that Karen; I've got something a little stronger we can fix you up with. You don't mind smoking do you?"

"Weed isn't going to help Orlando, I've done it before."

"No, no chica. This stuff is like high grade powder Vicodin that you smoke. It's not really legal though so we're going to have to make a stop in a shady place."

The thought of going on something stronger was a little unnerving to me, but the thought of living in depression was even worse. "Let's just do it, I really need something."

"Sure thing chica." He took a quick look at his watch. "You know its getting pretty late, how about we grab a bite after our errand."

It wasn't as if he had asked me for a flat out date, and I was hungry. "Sure."

About half an hour later we were sitting in an empty parking lot. Orlando had made a stop at a pretty shady looking house and driven to a private place nearby. Pulling out a baggie he placed some light brownish looking powder into a cigarette wrapper, rolled it up, and handed it to me.

"Just smoke this like you did weed, and take it slow."

I nodded and took the lighter from his hand. The stuff had a pretty bad taste, but around my third puff my entire body felt wonderful, and warm. It was the same feeling I got from taking the Vicodin, but it was like it got to that point, and then pushed it twenty times further. I couldn't keep the smile off my face.

"Hehe, this is great."

Orlando was smiling, and I knew I was too. "Thank you soo much! Let's go eat!"

He laughed. "Easy chica, we can't have you acting all loopy in the restaurant."

"Oh hush, they just don't know how to have fun. After dinner let's stop by your club for some drinks huh?"

"Sounds great chica, let's roll."

I hadn't known it then, but that substance he had given me, the magical powder that had lifted my spirts higher than they ever had been in the past month or so…it was heroin.

* * *

_End Chapter 13_

_Well this chapter took a little longer since it was a little longer than normal. Sorry I meant to get it out before Christmas, but a few bumps in the road delayed release. Hope you all have a great New Years! Check the message boards for the latest update on this story's writing progress._

_Thanks so much to my reviewers! Also thanks to Libra1 for her continued editing work on this story._


	15. Chapter 14: Dig Deep

Chapter 14

_Dig Deep_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

"Well my boy, that's the last of them. Let's just hope Zack can get them to the market in time."

Gotz and I had finished loading up all the wine crates into Zack's boat. Cliff and some of the other villagers had helped out as well. It was a pretty big deal, mainly because of what the bottles had on them. The wine had been bottled under the old name 'Heaven's Gate' hoping to get some attention from fans of the wine form way back, but I was about to find out that wasn't the biggest news.

"Here Jack, you hold onto the first bottle. We'll break it open at supper tonight."

Gotz walked off leaving me with the bottle. Turning it onto the back I was surprised to find a picture with me, Gotz, Cliff, Ann, and Sasha on the back of the bottle. It had been taken after the grape harvest months ago. Below there was a short story that started out with the words '_To: Karen'._

_To: Karen_

_We've missed you so much. Putting this wine together with your grandmother's old recipe only made us think of you so much more. We've gotten things together at the winery and we're finally making the famous wines we used to be known for. Many people miss you, your mother worries about you every day, Ann comes by all the time to see if we've heard from you, Cliff always talks about the times he'd come and visit you, and I've been sober since the day you left, missing you. But the person who misses you the most Karen has to be Jack, he works so hard everyday trying to keep his farm up, but everyone knows he's always thinking of you. He helped us grow, harvest, and bottle this wine praying it finds you along with this story. Come home Karen, we miss you._

_-Gotz Miller _

Below the letter was a picture of Karen walking through the vineyard looking at the grapes. I couldn't tell when it was taken, but she looked about the same age she was now. This was a miracle; if these bottles got to enough places in North County we'd have a great shot at finally finding her.

I was walking back to the farm with the bottle in hand and ran into Cliff. "Hey boss what's up?"

I handed him the bottle and pointed out the message. "Gotz decided to surprise me with a little plan of his own. All the wine bottles have those pictures and that story on them."

Cliff laughed. "Well I'd imagine the best way to get Karen's attention would be with a wine bottle."

We both laughed and walked down towards the house. "So how are you and Ann doing?"

"Good, she keeps pretty busy at the inn, but we still find time for each other."

"Is she enjoying it?"

"Oh yea she can't get enough. She loves meeting new people and she even helps out in the kitchen with Elli. The two of them keep that place running great."

"With the new wines the vineyard's putting out it's bound to attract visitors. Maybe this island will finally get the economic boost it needs."

"Yea Karen would love to see all th…" Cliff stopped abruptly.

"It's alright man, I'm sure she'll come back." I slapped him on the back and we went into the cabin.

I hadn't been inside for two minutes when my cell phone went off. "Weird."

"Woah boss you get signal here?"

"They must have built another tower near by." I flipped open the phone and put it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Jack? It's Vincent Vateli."

My heart jumped. I hadn't heard from Mr. Vateli since Karen's disappearance. "Mr. Vateli, is there some good news?"

"Just Vince, Jack, and yea I've got a little something. It's not much though."

"Tell me."

I heard him rustling through some papers. "I've tried every source I have in Durham and in North County and I can't find anything on her, so I looked elsewhere. When you told me she might have been hurt I figured they'd get her to a hospital near by."

"Yea."

"Well I was on vacation down in Morehead city this past weekend and stopped by Carteret General Hospital to ask around. Its been awhile since your girl disappeared, but when I showed a picture and mentioned a date one of the nurses thought she remembered her."

"Anything more?"

"Little bit. They pulled the girl's file and she fit my description perfectly. Even came in during the wee hours that morning, fits the time frame of your story. Problem was the names didn't match up, so I couldn't get anything more than that."

I was shocked. "But you're pretty sure it's her?"

"I wish I could be a 100 on this Jack, but I can't get access to her file. I can file a motion to have the records released with the courts, but medical stuff is pretty touchy."

"Do it, if there's any chance at all we need to follow up on it."

"Alright, I'm going to need to get a hold of her parents."

"Just stay on the line for a second." I ran out of the house as quickly as my feet would let me. I prayed I didn't lose signal on the way over to their house.

In record time I was outside their door knocking desperately. "Jack, what's wrong?" Gotz had answered; he looked confused when he saw me on my phone.

"Gotz, there's a chance they've found Karen. They need your permission to look into it."

Gotz took the phone and talked with Mr. Vateli for a little while before giving his ok. He handed me back the phone smiling. "Maybe this is the break we need Jack."

"I sure hope so."

"Jack?" I turned my attention back to my phone.

"Yea Mr. Vateli?"

"It's going to take some time to get this all together. At the very least I can probably get the name of her doctor wherever she is now, by say middle of December."

"Vince, I don't care if I have to wait a year as long as I have some hope to go on."

"Good to hear. I'll get right on this."

"Thanks."

"No problem Jack, you and your friends have a great Thanksgiving."

"If I don't talk to you before then you do the same Vince."

I hung up and put the phone back in my pocket. My heart was racing. This was the best news I had heard in what seemed like ages.

"Jack, me and Sasha are getting things wrapped up with stores in North County. We were wondering if your dad might want to help us out some. Sasha heard he was pretty high up in a big sales company."

I could have slapped myself. My father was the chairman for one of the biggest wine and beer distributing companies in the state. He'd be able to help us get the wine into every store in the county.

"I'll call him right now. How many cases do we have to distribute."

"We've only got 200 cases. But with the research Sasha did that would put about a case or two in every wine store in Durham and North County."

"How on earth did you all figure that out?"

Gotz smiled. "I always thought Sasha had some hidden talent. She's taken a liking to those computers at that inn you put up. Spends lots of time on that internet thing."

I would have laughed if the situation had been a little lighter. "I'm going to go ahead and call my father about this; I'll see you at supper."

"Good, be sure to drag Ann and Cliff over with you. Bring that old man of her's along too."

"Will do."

I left and quickly dialed up my dad's number. "Jack?"

"Hey dad, how you been?"

"Fine just getting things set up for the holiday sales. How'd your last harvest come off?"

"Perfect. I've got more than enough money for the spring seeds. Figured I'd spend a little of it to visit ya'll over Christmas."

"That's be great, it's been awhile since I've seen you. So what's on your mind?"

I went over everything that had happened in the past few weeks and made sure to mention the progress we'd just made on Karen's case. When I brought up the wine he seemed shocked.

"You've got to be kidding. They've brought back Heaven's Gate?"

"Yea, Alex did some work on the grape vines and we altered a few things. Pappy had the old recipe and we followed it. Stuff tastes just like an old bottle of the original stuff they had lying around."

"How many cases do they have for sale?"

"Umm…200."

"That's it?"

"Yea, what's the big deal with this wine?"

"Heaven's Gate was world renowned son. I'm not talking about something you'd find in grocery stores, I'm talking about something you'd find at the President's private events."

"That big huh?"

"It'll be even bigger now. People haven't seen this wine for decades! I guarantee I can get it into every store here in North County and Durham, but the supply is going to be pretty limited. I've got an idea though. Let me grab a plane ticket right now and I'll be down there before supper time."

"Really?"

"This is a big deal Jack, trust me. I've gotta let you go now so I can get this all together."

Around six o'clock that night I was standing on the dock waiting for my father to come in. In the distance I saw the marker light from Zack's boat and a few minutes later I was helping him tie it down to the dock. My father stepped off the boat and looked around. The last time he had been on the island was for my mother's funeral.

"This place has changed."

I walked up to him and hugged him. "It sure has pop; you've got to see the valley area we're working on."

"Is that where we're having supper?"

"Yea at the inn I built down there, you'll like it."

"Are you going to have some of that wine to taste?"

"Of course, come on, we're going to be late."

Inside the inn everyone greeted my dad warmly and we were all led into the main dining area by Ann. The decorators had done a great job with the place and it was really nice. The walls were hand laid stone with thick wooden rafters carved with intricate designs. A warm fireplace on one side was really just for show since the building was equipped with central heat and air, but it made for a nice country feel when it was going.

The table had a huge spread across it; a large ham, corn, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and all kinds of other foods. The supper was to celebrate the bottling of the wine, but with our luck that day we decided we'd also celebrate getting one step closer to bringing Karen home.

When Gotz brought out a couple bottles of the Heavens Gate my dad studied the bottle carefully. He smiled when he saw the story and pictures on the back.

"So Gotz I guess your main objective with this wine is to get your daughter back."

Gotz laughed. "That and make us both grandfathers." Gotz pointed towards me. "Your son was the mastermind behind getting this wine back to where it was. I just stuck that story and the pictures on the bottle."

"May I try a sip?"

"Pop that thing open, let's all have a glass."

When the wine hit my lips it was amazing how it tasted. All the mixtures of the fruit hit you really quickly. I could tell where the title came from, this wine really made you feel like you just hit a small piece of heaven.

"Gotz, I think we've got a winner."

Everyone at the table raised their glasses and shouted cheers and then after a short prayer dug into the meal. I noticed Ann and Cliff talking a little and Gotz was looking over some papers with my father. After the meal Elli and Ann collected everyone's plates and went to fetch desert.

"Gotz I'd like to keep all the cases in my warehouse until Thanksgiving gets a little closer."

"Why?"

"I could get a short segment on our local news network about the wine and make a big deal about revealing it. The news has this big deal a few days before thanksgiving about the hot items to buy for your supper. I could get you on there with the wine. As many times as it shows and with a little support from the papers we could easily get the word to Karen."

Gotz stood and shook my father's hand. "Then we have an agreement. Your company will handle all our distribution. I do have one small change to make though."

"What's that?"

"I'm not the person my daughter is going to want to see. You need to put your son on there."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

Gotz looked around the table. "Let's have a toast everyone! To bringing my daughter home!"

Everyone raised their glasses including myself and toasted.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

It was becoming nearly a daily thing now. I sat in my bedroom and smoked some heroin to get my day started a little after noon. Got dressed and would hit the streets.

Things had changed pretty drastically around the house. Kai had blown up on Orlando when he found out I had started smoking heroin. They had gotten into a huge fight and now they were hardly talking anymore. Kai had come out of the fight with a pretty busted up face, Orlando didn't have a scratch on him.

The last hard moment I had was this past October when Jack's birthday passed. Orlando had been nice and taken me to a pretty expensive restaurant. We had gone to his club later and I had fun dancing around and getting pretty drunk.

Thinking about it, I was pretty sure Orlando considered me his girlfriend now. He got frustrated with me when I refused to kiss him or let him hold me. I knew he wanted much more than that, but I still wasn't ready for it.

I put the joint out and walked out of my room. Today was actually going to be pretty fun. Allison, also known as Dr. Cameron, and I had become pretty close friends. We had both decided to go out and buy some stuff for a large Thanksgiving Day feast. I had managed to talk Orlando into letting Allison come over for Thanksgiving. He was pretty nervous about me being around someone else all the time. But I assured him I wouldn't let anything slip. I was so used to using the name Megan that I wasn't even sure if I'd answer to my real name any more.

My phone rang and I saw it was Allison. "Megan, you ready to go? I'm almost outside your place."

"Yea, give me a second and I'll be right out."

I hung up and quickly ran to the bathroom to through on some perfume. I wasn't too high; I didn't pack the joint too full since I didn't want to be like an idiot around Allison. The girl is a doctor after all; she'd pick up on it pretty easy.

Satisfied I had covered up any signs of the drug I grabbed my purse and went outside. Sure enough Allison pulled up and I jumped into the front seat.

"How you been?"

"Alright, Orlando keeps pushing me to become his girl and I'm just not ready for it."

"Men never listen do they?"

"No, they just want what they want. I mean it's not like I'm telling him there's no chance. I mean down the road it's more than just possible it's pretty likely. But he just doesn't understand."

"Well guys always go off their pride; he probably just thinks you're constantly rejecting him."

"I know, and if I told him that I plan on being his girlfriend he'd push even harder."

I sighed and rested my head on the car seat.

"So where do you want to start first?"

"Let's head over to that really fancy grocery store downtown. It won't be as crowded, and I'm sure they'll still have stuff on the shelves."

Ten minutes or so later we were walking into Princeton's. It's a pretty upscale grocery store with all kinds of stuff. They've got a full service, a five star restaurant inside the place where you can eat, and then they give you a list of all the ingredients in the dish you eat and instructions on how to make it yourself. It's an awesome concept, but of course everything in the store is twice what you should pay for it.

"So where do we start?"

I took out the shopping list I had scribbled down. Just the basic stuff you'd need, plus a ton of other crap that Luigi needed me to get so the Thanksgiving dinner could be 'Unbelievable'.

"Let's just grab a cart and start going down the list. We'll stop by the deli and have them get us a turkey ready while we shop."

"Sounds like a plan."

We grabbed a cart and started to collect the random food stuff we needed. We ordered a large turkey and told them to hold it at the register for us. In fancy places like this you got top service, I'll admit it I enjoyed it. My first month in the city I found out how unfriendly people were compared to the island, but these fancy shops that cater to your every need made me feel a little more at home. I hope that doesn't sound like I'm a spoiled rich person or something, but there were some things about home I missed.

We had just grabbed a couple cans of cranberry sauce when I saw a crowd of ten or so people gathered in the wine section. I thought their might be some kind of free tasting going on so I pulled Allison over with me to get a taste.

"Ladies and gentlemen I'm very glad you were all able to come today for today we have a very special treat. A wine that we thought was lost to the trials of time has returned. A wine that found favor worldwide, and since it's grown in such a small area the supply is very limited."

I couldn't see the case and it seemed like everyone here had no idea what wine he was talking about so I waited in anticipation. If this wine was as good as he said it was I was definitely getting a bottle.

"First I'm going to pass a small sample around to you all, perhaps some of you will recognize it."

A man came around with a tray of plastic glasses that had a small amount of wine in it. Some of the people swirled it around and sniffed it. I just clanked my plastic glass with Allison's and drank it. I nearly choked when it hit my tongue.

The flavor of pure grapes and raspberries hit my mouth. The wine made your tongue explode with flavor but still kept that subtle burn to it that let you know it was wine. But there was no way it could be what I thought it was. Heaven's Gate was a very well known wine, and this is exactly what it tasted like. But there was no way our winery back home could produce this, maybe dad had gotten desperate for money and sold the recipe to someone. That thought made my blood boil.

"Now to reveal the wine if any of you guessed it."

He pulled off a piece of velvet covering one of the bottles and sure enough it said Heaven's Gate on the label. I felt my blood boil. I hadn't gotten this angry since the day I heard Pappy left Jack his farm.

"Now we only have twenty four bottles of this delicate wine. The retail's at $250 dollars a bottle. The Winemaker only had this wine shipped to North County and Durham so we should all consider ourselves lucky. Would any one like a bottle?"

"Yes!" I held up my hand and received one of the bottles. I looked around to see where it came from and was shocked when the bottle stated it was from Flower Bud Winery, but that was nothing compared to what I saw when I turned the bottle over.

It was a picture of my mom, dad, Cliff, Ann, and Jack…but how? It didn't look old, and Jack had never visited the island during a harvest before. I started to read the story below.

_To: Karen_

_We've missed you so much. Putting this wine together with your grandmother's old recipe only made us think of you so much more. We've gotten things together at the winery and we're finally making the famous wines we used to be known for. Many people miss you, your mother worries about you every day, Ann comes by all the time to see if we've heard from you, Cliff always talks about the times he'd come and visit you, and I've been sober since the day you left, missing you. But the person who misses you the most Karen has to be Jack, he works so hard everyday trying to keep his farm up, but everyone knows he's always thinking of you. He helped us grow, harvest, and bottle this wine praying it finds you along with this story. Come home Karen, we miss you._

_-Gotz Miller _

I couldn't believe it. It just didn't seem possible, but as if God heard my doubts he sent more proof my way.

"Ladies and gentlemen please turn to the TV behind you. One of the winemakers is going to talk about why this wine is so special."

My heart skipped. On TV was Jack, smiling and chatting with one of the news reporters all the way on Flower Bud Isle. He was alive, he was talking. I felt my heart race I was filled with so much joy I didn't know what to do.

"So Mr. Harvest wine experts are up in arms that you only sent this year's Heaven's Gate to wine stores in North County and Durham. What's the reason for that?"

"Well we didn't really make this wine to make money. Although many of you won't believe then when it's retailing for $250 a bottle were actually using all that money to help spruce up our small town."

"But why just two areas instead of nation wide distribution?"

"If you read the back of the bottle we made this wine to actually find someone. One of the islands residents Karen Miller, who's the vineyard owner's, was kidnapped off the island and we're doing everything we can to find her. After a lot of hard work we managed to get the vineyard to produce grapes capable of making this wine, and we hope that enough people will get the word out so that we can find her."

"Is there a picture of this girl?"

"Of course, in fact it's on every bottle."

A large picture of me walking through the vineyard showed up on screen that matched the picture on the bottle. Everyone from the wine tasting slowly turned and looked at me, I got nervous and grabbed Allison's hand leading her out of the grocery store after we quickly paid.

When we got into her car I was finally able to relax, but Allison had seen the picture too.

"Megan?"

I didn't acknowledge her.

"Karen?"

I slowly turned and met her gaze. Tears were falling down my face. "Yea?"

"Oh my gosh you're that girl the winemaker was talking about."

I nodded. There was no way to avoid it now.

That's when it hit me. If Jack was alive that meant Orlando and Kai must have lied to me. They had kidnapped me off the island. I had no idea what else they had done, but now I was scared. I couldn't run off Orlando would find me.

"Meg…I mean Karen what on Earth happened?"

"I don't even know Allison."

"That boy on the TV, is he the one you told me died when I was taking your cast off?"

I nodded.

"What a hunk."

I smiled; Allison always did have a way of making light of things. It didn't change the position I was in though. Orlando was a very ruthless person. He was bound to find about the TV broadcast and it'd only be a matter of time before he took some pretty drastic action.

"Was Orlando the one who kidnapped you?"

"I think so…this is just so much to process at one Allison. Let me just get home."

"Are you kidding? You want to go back to your kidnapper? You must have Stockholm syndrome or something."

"No nothing like that. I have to buy as much time as possible. If Orlando get's sketched he'll grab me and run off to who knows where and I'll never see Jack again. You need to call him though."

Allison's phone rang and she picked it up. "Hello?"

"House?"

"You what!? You can't do that she's a patient."

"Since when do you worry about moral obligations?"

"Yes she is."

Allison turned and looked at me skeptically. She grabbed my wrist gently and checked my pulse.

"She just found out her boyfriend is alive of course her heart would be racing."

Sighing she looked closely at my eyes.

"Yes they are."

She looked closely at me and I wasn't sure what she was looking for but she must have found it.

"It looks like you could be right." She hung up. "Karen that was Dr. House, he already took it upon himself to inform your boyfriend."

"Well that takes care of that." I noticed everything started to get really cold.

"There's something else Karen."

"What?" I didn't know why but I was starting to get angry.

"Karen, are you taking heroin?"

"No…why?" I was getting backed into a corner. She must have been able to tell. Fucking idiot why did I smoke up before going out with a doctor. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Karen, your showing signs of heroin withdrawal. House told me you were popping Vicodin, but that was bound to wear off."

I started to shiver.

"Look at yourself Karen. You've got goose bumps all over you. You're sweating and it's not even hot. You're getting irritated for no reason. We have to get you help."

"I know!" I covered my mouth I didn't want to sound so forceful. "I'm sorry Allison, your right I am on heroin, but you just don't understand how Orlando is. I've got to make him think nothings up and give Jack enough time to get here."

We pulled into the driveway and I said a quick goodbye to Allison and quickly went inside. I hadn't gotten to the stairway when Orlando stopped me.

"Karen."

"Yea?"

"Get packed we have to leave."

* * *

**Jack's POV**

"Hello?"

"Is this Jack Harvest, the kid on TV with the expensive wine?"

"Yea, who's this?"

"I'm just a concerned citizen who wants to help you out. There is a reward right?"

"Uhh, yea sure. What do you want?"

"If you could send two bottles of that wonderful wine of yours to Doctor House at North County General Hospital, I owe the man my life and want to repay him. Your girlfriend is being held by a man named Orlando Escobar, local drug lord in Durham that runs a club called Extasis. He forged some documents and has your girl going under the name Megan Yates. If you need more information I can point you to one of her friends when Doctor House gets his wine."

"I'll leave right now and bring it with me."

I quickly packed a bag and told Cliff the news. I grabbed two bottles out of my personal case and made a mad dash to the dock. On the way I quickly called Mr. Vateli and let him know about the developments and to look into Orlando Escobar to get me an address to go to as well as the fake name he had Karen under.

Zack luckily was about to head out to the city when I got there. When I told him the news he pushed that boat as hard as it would run.

As the city skyline appeared in the distance I felt a hole in my heart start to heal itself.

_"I'm coming Karen, just hold on."_

* * *

_End Chapter 14_

_Well the holidays are over and after a few days of getting things moved back to my apartment I'll be back in the swing of things so the next chapter shouldn't be delayed too much. Got this longer chapter out to tie yourselves over, but I'm sure your all wondering what's going to happen when Jack gets to the city. _

_I want to thank all my reviewers it's great to see people enjoying my work. However this story is getting about 100 hits per chapter. That means there's got to be more than three people reading each chapter. To those of you not reviewing REVIEW! Its not the reason I'm writing, but its definitely a big motivator. Also thanks as always goes out to Libra1 who worked on this story all through Christmas Break when she didn't really have to. _

_Personal reviewer thanks will be in the next chapter. _

_P.S. Yes RWT I finally remembered I used to be your BETA reader. Took me awhile but the search feature on solved that problem._


	16. Chapter 15: So Close

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Chapter 15**

_So Close_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

Ever since my mom died I hated hospitals; even going to the doctor turned into a pet peeve. North County General Hospital wasn't any better, but if this is what it took to get Karen back then I had no problem with it.

A pretty receptionist at the main entrance greeted me with a smile. "Welcome to NCGH, how can I help you?"

"I was sent by a patient of Dr. House with a gift for him."

"A gift? For Dr. House?" She looked confused. Then her eyes got big, "Wait you're that guy from the TV, with the wine right?"

"That's me."

"Wow so the rumor's true."

"Huh?"

"There's been a rumor going around that Dr. House treated the missing girl you're looking for."

I smiled, things were looking better and better. "That's why I'm here. Can you tell me where to find him?"

"Sure." She quickly printed out a visitor badge and a small map of the hospital. "Put this badge on and take the elevator behind me to the 3rd floor. Dr. House's office is just to the left of the elevator as you get off."

"Thank you." I put on the badge and started towards the elevator.

I ducked into the elevator and pushed the button for the third floor. As soon as I got off I saw the office and quickly went in.

"Ever heard of knocking?" I figured the man behind the desk was Dr. House. "You must be Jack."

His voice sounded pretty familiar. "Are you the one who called me?"

"No, no my patient just let me know you were coming. Have my wine?"

I pulled the two bottles out of my backpack and he quickly took them.

"Awesome, here's her medical file. Go into the meeting room next door and talk with Dr. Cameron."

"Ok, thanks."

I went into the adjourning room and found Dr. Cameron. It was pretty easy since she was the only one in the room. She looked up from her folder and seemed pretty surprised to see me. She smiled and offered me the seat across from her.

"You must be Karen's boyfriend."

"Yea, you're Dr. Cameron?"

"Call me Allison, I'm Karen's friend."

"I'm glad she had someone in this town to help her. What can you do to help me?"

"I'll tell you everything I know, but I'm afraid there's not much else I can do. We already filed a police report and they refused to raid Orlando's house without more evidence."

"Why? Didn't you have records stating she lived there?"

"They argued the records only proved Megan Yates lived there, and there was no proof it was really your Karen Miller. Bottom line is Orlando's got the police and local government in his pocket. He's the biggest drug lord around in North Carolina."

"I figured he was in the drug market. This is going to make things hard. Where does he live? I'll go check it out."

Allison sighed. "I went over their earlier today and there's no one at the house. Karen warned me if Orlando got suspicious he'd probably move her. He must have seen your announcement on TV."

A cold chill ran up my spine. I hadn't thought that TV ad would have put Karen in danger. I silently cursed myself for not thinking things through.

"Don't blame yourself, if you all hadn't done that she would have never been found." I noticed she looked troubled over something as she looked down. "There's something else you should know too."

"What?"

"Orlando had tricked her into thinking you had died that night when she left the island. Something about her father shooting you."

Thinking about it, it made sense. I had always wondered why she didn't make any effort to come back.

"Is that all?"

Allison shook her head. "I'm afraid not. She was pretty depressed over it and started to use Vicodin to keep herself happy. It's a pretty powerful painkiller. The effects wore off and the last time I saw her she admitted Orlando had gotten her started on heroin."

I wasn't that shocked. I had figured Orlando would have gotten Karen involved in drugs. Something as addictive as heroin though made me worry about what she was going through.

"How bad off was she?"

"I never really noticed it until the last time I saw her. She was showing some pretty serious withdrawal symptoms. With Orlando on the run I'm worried he might use her heroin addiction to control her."

"What kind of guy is he?"

"I never met him, but Karen never said he did anything to hurt her. I know he was interested in her the way she talked about him, but the feeling definitely wasn't mutual. She did mention he was getting frustrated that she kept turning down his advances."

"Did she ever mention a guy named Kai?"

"Yea, he's Orlando's cousin. She said he was the one who originally went for her, but something about a huge fight between him and Orlando made him back off."

"He doesn't seem to take losing too lightly."

"No, I've asked some of the addicts that come through here about him and they tell me he runs a club called Extasis. It's pretty big, but I doubt he'll be hiding there though."

Even though the situation looked grim Allison looked really concerned over Karen. I was glad Karen had managed to find a good person to rely on while she was here. It was a still just a silver lining to the cloud though. With Orlando on the run in his home turf it was going to be hard to get him out in the open where I could find him.

"Well Allison thanks for your help. I'm going to call a private investigator and have him look into this." I got up to leave but Allison stopped me.

"Jack she was really happy when she found out you're alive. Don't give up on her."

"I won't, not in a million years."

She smiled. "Good, call me if you hear something or need any help." She scribbled down her phone number on a pad of paper. "It's my cell number, you can reach me anytime."

"Thanks Allison, I'll keep in touch."

Leaving the hospital I felt a little better. I knew Karen was alive and in the area. She knew I'd be coming for her, and I knew she hadn't given up hope yet. Unfortunately the added knowledge of Orlando's connections, unknown current whereabouts, and Karen's new drug addiction weighed pretty heavily on my mind. I had no idea what kind of guy Orlando truly was, and I was worried what he would do if he got cornered. Would he take Karen's life? Would he have his way with her?

I quickly shook the thoughts from my mind; they weren't going to help me find Karen any faster. I took out my cell phone and quickly dialed Mr. Vateli's number. I had a really bad feeling about what Alison had said about Orlando controlling Karen through her drug addiction.

* * *

**Karen's POV **_Earlier_

"What are you talking about?" I tried to calm him down, but the scowl on his face made it known he had made up his mind.

"There's no room to argue in this Karen. I know you must have seen that TV announcement. You know Jack's alive."

A chill ran up my spine. If he had any doubts about me knowing about Jack he wouldn't have told me the truth, that Jack was alive.

"So what are you planning to do? You can't keep me here. The entire nation will know what I look like by tonight when that announcement goes on national news."

The smile that creped up on Orlando's face made goose bumps cover my body. He had a plan, and I could tell I wasn't going to like it.

"You know Karen I was hoping you'd be a little more corporative, but I can tell I'm going to have to use other means."

"You're going to hold me prisoner forever? That will never work! Look you lost Orlando, just let me leave!"

I saw him motion to someone down the hall way. A second later to huge guards came and grabbed me. I tried to scream, but they covered my mouth. I just stared at Orlando with the angriest expression I could muster.

"Dear chica, I never, ever, lose. No I'm not going to hold you prisoner, not physically anyways. You're going to hold yourself prisoner. You're not going to want to leave by the time I'm done with you."

I got scared. Was he going to rape me? Disfigure me? I started kicking myself for returning to this house. I should have let Allison take me far away from here. I didn't think Orlando would take things to this extreme.

The guards dragged my down the hall to the kitchen where they tied and gagged me to a chair. Orlando stood in front of me menacingly.

"I see the look in your face Karen; no I'm not going to rape you. I prefer my women to beg me to pleasure them. Rape is for scum who aren't powerful enough to get women."

I saw him open a small wooden box on the kitchen table. He took out a vial and I struggled when I saw a syringe and needle.

"You see Karen, when I'm done with you you're going to be begging me to sleep with you. Begging me to let you stay. Begging me to tell you what I want, anything in exchange for this." He held up the vial to my face.

"You've been using this drug for quite some time now Karen, but your about to experience it in a whole new way. Smoking heroin is one thing, but people don't get madly addicted to it just from smoking it." He took the syringe and attached the needle. Sticking it into the vial he slowly drew some of the liquid out. Placing the vial back on the table he held the now filled syringe in front of my eyes.

"Don't worry I'm not going to kill you, that's far from what I want to do with you." One of the guards grabbed my arm and tightly tied a piece of rubber around it.

"That will help us find the vein to put this into." He waved the needle at me and with his hand started feeling my arm for a vein. He smiled when a large one popped up.

He held the needle up and pushed all the air out of it. Looking at me he smirked. "You know in one of Kai's letters he sent me a picture of you. I've always been a man who knows what he wants and when I saw that picture I knew I had to have you."

I put as much scorn into my eyes as I could muster. Was he honestly trying to be romantic just before he turned me into a junkie?

"I made plans with Kai to try and 'help' him get you and him together, but the whole time I was just drawing up my own plans to make you mine. We got you off the island, and onto my turf. There's no where you can hide, no where you can run."

I didn't believe him. There was police and other people; there were so many places I could go.

"I see the defiance hasn't left your eyes, no matter." I saw the needle hover above my vein and braced myself for the pain. I felt a tear go down my cheek as I closed my eyes.

"Orlando! What are you doing!" My eyes popped open and I saw Kai standing in the doorway. His expression looked angered beyond reason and the guards moved to stop him for getting any closer to Orlando.

"No, no let him come." The guards released Kai and he walked up to Orlando.

"What are you doing cousin? You can't give her that stuff!"

Orlando didn't even seem to pay attention to Kai. He motioned his guards over and they blocked Kai from running away.

"Just give her up cousin, we've lost. It doesn't have to come to this!" Kai seemed to be almost pleading with Orlando, but he wasn't listening. He kept his stare on me.

"Maybe if I show you how powerful a man I am Karen you'll have a better understanding of what you're facing."

He quickly pulled out a gun from the back of his pants and without a moments hesitation he shot Kai in the head.

I felt my eyes go wide and tears flow from them as the life disappeared from Kai's eyes and his body went limp, falling to the ground. The guards quickly came and dragged the body out of the room. Orlando holstered his weapon without an ounce of remorse on his face.

I felt my throat closing up. It's not like I hated Kai. I knew he never meant to take it this far. I was scared.

"Take the gag out of her she looks like she's going to suffocate."

The guards took out my gag and I gasped for air. My mind wanted me to shout at Orlando, to show him I was still in control, but my body wouldn't let me. My mind just raced of the possibilities of what could happen. That's when Orlando took the needle out again and quickly stabbed it into my arm. I hissed in pain.

"So chica you seem to have a new opinion of me. You see no one gets in my way, that includes family. No one can touch me. You think the cops will come?" He pushed the plunger down on the syringe and I gasped as the heroin entered my veins. "The cops will never come, they belong to me, this town belongs to me!"

He took the tie-off from my arm and the drug shot into my system. I lost feeling of my body and an outrageously strong high hit me. Even with all the horror I had just experienced I started laughing, and not just a small chuckle. I smiled. My body felt wonderful all over. Nothing else seemed to matter. I even felt myself become aroused. It was like my body was about to hit a climax and I arched my back in the chair enjoying the sensation.

Suddenly after a few minutes the rush subsided and I was left with a still happy feeling all over my body and a nice warmth. I felt the smile still on my face, but my mind seemed to kick in a little alerting me I was still in a hostile environment.

"One of you go pack up her things, the rest get everything vital ready to move. We're out of here in the hour got it?"

"Yes sir!"

The guards left the room. I felt slightly sick when Orlando smiled at me, but the drugs were keeping me from wiping the smile off my face.

"Well chica it looks like you're enjoying yourself. I'll have one of the guards make sure you get to the car. Don't worry about your little boyfriend we'll be going somewhere he'll never find you. Besides now that you're a junkie, what's anyone going to want to do with you?"

I felt a tear fall down my face despite the high feeling throughout my body. Jack would never be able to find me now…and if he did would he even want me back?

* * *

_End Chapter 15_

_Well it looks like this story is taken an even darker turn. I won't give anything away but this story isn't listed in Angst or Tragedy for a reason. Everyone also give thanks to Libra1 for her continued BETA work on this chapter. _

_Personal thanks:_

_**RWT-**__I'm sorry it took me so long to remember, you tripped me up with the different user name. What's JJBC stand for anyways? I'm glad you're enjoying the story look forward to your reviews in the future and who knows if you decide to write another Jack x Karen look me up if you need a BETA._

_**DoubleKK-**__Yes the story does seem to be getting darker and darker with no way to pull itself out of that downward spiral. But check out the notes above, should answer your question without giving too much away. I'm still waiting to see an update out of Unshed Tears. Whoever sent you that flame just has no taste. I'm sure this story will eventually attract a flame, but I won't let it stop me, don't let it stop you._

_**DemonDude12-**__Thanks for the review. This story still has a pretty decent ways to go. Let me know what you thought of this chapter._

_**Klutz586-**__Although I've been warned by my BETA to not blow the House crossover out of the water I'm sure it's fine to confirm that yes it is Dr. House. I felt he would be an excellent character to not only treat Karen, but have enough wit to counter her cold personality. You'll see it play out much more in later chapters._

_**Thomas Young-**__I'm always glad to find new readers. Please keep up the reviews! I'm trying to keep this updated once every week and a half or so. It depends on my course load and my BETA's free time. You can find out where I am on writing my stories on my website listed in my profile. I keep about a weekly blog and I update the story status in every post. There's other stuff there too to check out so if you get anxious check it out._

_**Coon66-**__I've always been a huge fan of adding plot twists ever since I watched the Ocean's 11 series. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to your review._


	17. Chapter 16: Sounds In The Wind

**Chapter 16**

_Sounds In The Wind_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

"Mr. Harvest your breakfast is ready."

"…thanks" The maid closed the door and I cringed as my feet made contact with the cold floor. My father had money, but he'd go on these conserving binges whenever a bill would come in. The current one was for natural gas, and that meant the heat wasn't running.

It was cold, and it wasn't just my father's fault. Mother Nature had her hand in it too. Weather forecasters were claiming this would be one of the coldest weeks of the year leading up to Christmas, and I was inclined to believe them. December was always a weird weather month in North County. It was nice and warm one day and freezing the next.

I sat down at the island bar in the kitchen and dug into a scrambled egg and cheese sandwich while looking over the paper. Ever since I came here last month it was becoming a daily ritual. I'd scan over every local news source for clues to Karen's whereabouts. Allison would call around lunch. We'd go eat and while she was on break we'd look around the more dark parts of Durham. I was trying to keep my hopes up, but it was getting pretty grim.

Finishing my omelet I turned to the last page of the local newspaper. No stories on the back but there was a huge ad for a late night shopping spree at the local mall that night. I made a note to go over there. I was never one for shopping, but I did need to buy a few gifts for everyone.

Putting the paper down I was about to grab a shower when my phone went off. It was still around ten in the morning so I wasn't expecting a call.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jack, its Allison."

"Oh hey, didn't recognize the number."

"Yea I'm on my friend's phone. Got a small Christmas surprise for you."

"What's that?"

"We get to explore Orlando's house today."

My sprits instantly rose. "You got the cops to raid it?"

"Um…not really. Fellow doctor of mine knows how to pick locks and I called in a favor."

"…great."

Thirty minutes later there I was standing in front of Orlando's mansion. The place was huge and really fancy looking. The entire outside was white with a red roof and the wall work made it look like one of those Hispanic clay houses. Every ounce of it reeked of money though, but I reminded myself it was drug money.

"Allison, are you sure about this?"

She walked up to the door with her friend and waved me over. "It's fine Jack. He hasn't been here in about a month and I had the neighbors across the street keep watch. No one's been in or out."

"What about a security system?"

The guy picking the lock instantly stopped and looked up at Allison. "Yea what about that?"

"Foreman its fine he doesn't have one. He had all those huge guys with guns remember? He didn't need a system."

Her friend, Foreman, shrugged and continued to pick the lock. A minute later the door popped open. "There, favor done, now I'm outta here."

"You can't keep watch?"

"House is going to kill me as it is Cameron if he finds out I did this. I can't be a no show too."

"Yea, yea thanks anyways."

He quickly left and now I was alone in the house with Allison. "So what now?"

"Look for clues I guess. Should we split up?"

I shook my head. "No stay with me. I want to be sure you're safe."

She smiled. "I can tell what Karen sees in you. But what pray tell are you going to do should someone pop up."

I withdrew my pistol and slid the slide back loading a bullet in the chamber. "Pop him."

She got a serious look on her face but smiled slightly at my joke. "Ok Rambo I'll stick with you. We should probably start with his office."

I nodded and we walked around the house looking for something that resembled an office. I found Karen's room upstairs. It still had some of her clothing in it and some belongings so I made a mental note to come back.

"Jack!"

I quickly ran towards Allison's voice with my pistol raised scared something had happened. She was standing in the hallway and looked a little surprised. "Easy there, I was just going to tell you I found the office."

"Oh."

To the average person you'd think it was just a regular home office. A glass bowl on the corner of the desk however held powder cocaine and papers with drug references were scattered across his desk.

Allison brushed through the material and scowled. "The worst thing is even if we took this to the police they'd say we planted it. This guy is untouchable."

"But he's scared."

She looked puzzled. "Of what?"

"Of me."

She looked like she was going to laugh, but then her hand brushed against a piece of paper that caught her eye. "Maybe your right Jack, check out this article."

I looked over it. It was the fake story Orlando had fabricated falsifying my death. There were no pictures, but it looked like it had come straight off NBC's website. "He's got some pretty gifted people working for him."

Allison was still looking over the papers. "You're not joking. All these documents are talking about millions upon millions of dollars of cocaine being snuck into the country."

"Anything that can help us with Karen?"

She shook her head. "Not yet, why don't you go look in her room next door, I'll shout if I see anyone."

"Sure."

I walked into Karen's room and I felt my heart race as my nose picked up the smell of her perfume. I looked around and saw some pictures lying on her dresser.

I picked them up and tears came to my eyes. There was one of smiling in front of a birthday cake a few months earlier. Another was taken in what looked like a photo booth with Allison. There was something different about her, in her eyes. She was sporting a smile in both pictures, but you could look at her eyes and tell the same life and free sprit they once held were gone.

I pocketed the pictures and walked around the room. There was some clothing in the closet. I figured she wouldn't want it anymore if I did find her. Some of the other material objects in the room brought the same feeling. If…no when I found her I wouldn't want her to have to remember what must have happened here. The room felt like a prison to me. Truly it was, she just never knew it. If she had known about everything, the truth, she wouldn't have wanted to stay here a second longer. Instead Orlando and Kai kept her a prisoner using her sorrow as a jail cell.

I noticed she had a few things from Flower Bud Isle with her. Her wallet was on her nightstand. I used to make fun of her constantly for carrying one. She insisted wallets were for girls too and she hated the idea of carrying a purse around.

I went over to it and opened it. There was a large amount of money; a credit card barring the name Megan Yates, and even a driver's license with the same alias. It troubled me how easy Orlando must have obtained these. Searching deeper revealed a fake social security card and even health insurance. Every card I found with the name Megan Yates in the wallet made me feel worse and worse as if each card erased a little of Karen and replaced it with Megan.

I was about to set the wallet down when a small pocket photo fell out. I looked at it and turned it over. Smiling I brushed my finger over a smiling brown haired girl with brilliant blonde bangs who was smiling as she was carried around on my back. Looking closely on the back written in small letters were the words _"Jack & I '07" _I put the wallet in my pocket. If anything this proved Megan and Karen were one and the same. Not that it'd do us any good, the cops would never buy it, and we'd probably get arrested for breaking into Orlando's house.

Gathering a few other things I knew she'd want I placed them in my jacket pockets and turned to leave when I found a small book in her nightstand's drawer. Glancing through it revealed it as Karen's diary. I figured it would be useful to see what she had been up to since she got to North County. At the least maybe give me a few of her favorite places to possibly spot her at. Not that Orlando or Kai would let her out of their sights now.

I sighed, the situation almost felt as hopeless as it did over a month ago when we had no idea where Karen was. Walking out the door I met Allison in the hallway.

"Any luck?"

She shook her head. "Fraid not, just enough stuff to scare you shitless. This guy's got government officials, police, and hell even local mafia in his pocket, and that just brushes the surface."

"No listings for property he owns in shady rundown places?"

"No, I kept an eye out for that. Chances are he either just ran some crack addicts outta their den and set up there or just quickly bought out a place."

"Yea I guess you're right…" I put my hands in my pockets and brushed up against the flyer from the paper that morning. "Hey you finish up your Christmas shopping?"

She looked surprised at the change in subject. "Haven't even started, you?"

"Same, they've got this deal at North County mall tonight for charity. Care to go with me?"

She smiled. "Sure it'll give me a chance to get Chase something without him around."

"Alright, we'll grab supper over there; the event starts around 9:30."

"Sounds like a ball, should I meet you over at the Kanki restaurant around say eight?"

"That's awful late for supper."

"Well let's go grab lunch now, it's already two so you should keep till eight."

"You're the doctor."

We left Orlando's house with a little more than what we went in with. I placed Karen's diary in the passenger seat of my car and started off towards my house. I prayed reading it would give me some help finding her, at the very least it'll let me feel just a little bit closer to her.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

The house was dark and grungy. It was nothing like Orlando's mansion we had stayed in. There was no central heat and Orlando's room was the sole source of natural warmth from the fireplace he kept going there. It was one way he made sure he could keep an eye on me. I'd have to stay in that room or risk freezing to death.

I also had to stay around him so I could shoot up. I was now a full blown heroin addict. I had an extensive knowledge of needles, what heroin should look and smell like, even how to keep myself relatively safe while using it. The only nice thing Orlando really did for me was made sure I had clean needles and supplies to use. I suppose though there was an ulterior motive for all that, if I got sick I'd have to go to the hospital and that meant a chance for me to be discovered.

Pushing on the heavy wooden door I entered Orlando's room. I carried a tray of food I had cooked for him and myself. A romantic dinner for two was today's price for my daily fix. As long as I stayed obedient and never left the house his demands remained pretty mundane. I guess because he figured he'd have all the time in the world to get what he wanted from me.

"Ah, this looks lovely Chica. You'll be joining me right?" He held the baggy containing the brownish powder I needed so desperately in front of me.

"Of course."

He looked disappointed. "Of course what?"

I had to fight the urge to add venom to my voice. "Of course my love."

"That's better chica. Shall I feed you?" He held up the needle and syringe I'd need to administer the drugs to myself.

"I wouldn't have it any other way love." I couldn't stop my mind from envisioning grabbing the small needle from his grasp and stabbing it into his throat. It made a smile form on my face, and of course that sick drug lord bastard thought I was getting off to his ego trip.

"Good."

We had our little 'romantic' meal with us feeding each other. He tried to push things once spilling some food on my cleavage and going to wipe it up. I stopped him and cleaned myself up which thankfully he allowed.

He watched me as I cleaned everything up and took it to the kitchen. I quickly returned to Orlando's room and claimed my prize: my daily shoot up. Quickly preparing the mixture and filling the syringe I used my belt as a tie off, found a vein, and plunged the needle in. The injection part was always a little painful, but you get used to it pretty quick, another sign of becoming an addict. Pulling off the tie off I felt the rush fill my body.

You see today I had a request to make, and I knew Orlando was going to ask for something big in return for it. I sauntered over to the nightstand where I had left the newspaper. Yes I slept in the same bed as Orlando, but it was king size and he knew better than to invade my side of the bed. To make sure he slept under the covers and I kept a thick blanket and slept on top of the comforter. It was harder to do things he asked like let him hug me, feed me, make me talk to him romantically, because I knew Jack was alive, and I knew he was looking for me.

I had just about given up hope on that rescue though. It had been about a month since the broadcast and I was sure Jack had been and most likely gone back to Flowerbud isle. Even if he was still in North County there was little hope he'd find me where Orlando had taken us, way into the Ghetto surrounded by all kinds of undesirable people. Even if he knew where we were there was no way he'd get to me. We were running a small bar, which was really a front for Orlando to do his drug business. Since we were forced from the house and Orlando's cash we had to have a way of doing some business. So the bar served up cheap drinks and offered drug fare as well. Just to prove how powerful he was Orlando even posted the costs of his drugs on the drink menu. There was no hope, but that didn't mean I had to live in this slum hole 24/7.

"Babe I've got a favor to ask." I had to resist the urge to kill him with the syringe in my hand and being so close to him.

"What's that chica."

I unfolded the newspaper add I had seen this morning. "I want to go on this shopping spree they have at the mall. Get you a Christmas present."

"Karen, you know how dangerous that's going to be."

I wanted to strangle him. Dangerous? It'd just be a golden opportunity for me to run into Jack and taken to my freedom! But even I knew the chance was a long shot in hell. Especially with the new look I had. Completely blonde hair, green eyes now blue, and with my cabin fever my once semi tanned skin was now a pale white. "Babe no one's going to recognize me the way I look now. Send some guards with me."

He sat and thought for a second and then relented. "That's fine, but I want something big in return."

This was the part I dreaded. "What's that baby?"

"I want to see you naked, right here, right now."

My mind raced. He wasn't going to touch me, hold me, kiss me, or even come close to having sex with me. So if this was my one ticket to freedom for the evening, why not? "You promise you'll just watch."

"Of course chica, you don't even have to put on a show just take it all off and spin around slowly. No covering."

I grasped the syringe and placed it on the dresser behind me. If he tried anything it wouldn't take much effort to grab the needle and stab him with it. "Alright then."

He sat up on the bed and his eyes were glued to me. I felt sick as I unzipped my jacket and let it fall to the floor. Moving over to the fireplace to stay warm I took off my boots and slipped off the thick socks.

"My chica the fire makes you look all the more beautiful."

His complements made me nauseous. I blocked him out and kept telling myself this was the only way to get away from here for a few hours. The heroin was still working really well and it kept me from thinking straight too. If I had been sober there'd be no way I'd be doing this. I pulled off my shirt and dropped my pants to the floor giving Orlando an eye full of my bra and panty clad self. He seemed pleased of course this was more than he'd ever seen before.

"Keep going chica."

I felt around my back and pushed my bra clamp together. Pulling the garment off my shoulders it dropped to the floor and I didn't even try to cover my bust. Orlando's eyes went big, and I just focused on my task. Pulling down my panties gave him a full frontal view of my nude form. I dropped my hands at my side and looked at him. Smiling mainly because of the euphoria from the drugs and also because I now knew I had a ticket out of this hell hole for a few hours. "Happy babe?"

"You have no idea; give me a slow turn around."

I did as he asked and stood facing him. If it wasn't for the heroin I'd probably be a crying heap on the ground right now. Begging whatever higher power was out there for forgiveness. Somewhere in my mind my brain registered the fact Jack would never want to have anything to do with me, especially after what I had just done.

"Ok chica, get dressed. I'll have the guards bring the car round front and take you to the mall. I'll let you go wherever you want until three ok?"

I was surprised he was being unusually generous giving me such a slack leash. "Thanks."

I got concerned when I saw the grin on his face. But my mind was too busy thinking about other things. Like the amazing high I was feeling form the heroin or the fact I was about to go out and experience freedom for about seven hours.

I quickly dressed and went outside. The car was waiting for me and a large burly guard got in on the other side. I sighed thinking my freedom was somewhat restrained. That feeling got even worse when a guy equally as big as the other climbed in on the other side of me.

_"Oh well at least I'm going to the mall."_

* * *

**Jack's POV**

We had finished our meal and were relaxing at the bar for a drink or two waiting for the mall event to start up. We had already bought our tickets, two wrist bands, that signified we had made our contribution to charity and were now allowed to shop until the wee hours of the morning. It was actually shaping up to be a pretty fun event. The mall had just finished up a large parking deck, but the closed off the top floor for the event and put up some fake Christmas trees, benches, a large skating rink, and vendors were around with hot chocolate and cider. There were caroling groups from local schools scattered around singing Christmas songs, a few stands scattered around stores had ginger bread men freshly baked. It was going to be amazing, like a Christmas carnival in a shopping mall.

"So you're going to buy Karen a Christmas present?"

It panged my heart a little thinking of spending Christmas without Karen, but I wasn't about to let Allison see me drepressed over it. "Of course, what do you think I should get her?"

"Me? You're the boyfriend."

"Yea but it's been almost half a year since I've talked with her. Perhaps her tastes have changed."

Allison looked at her watch. "Well we've got about half an hour before the event starts. Why don't we both share what we know about her?"

I started off and told her my entire back story with Karen. My mother getting cancer, growing up on the Island with Karen, my mother's death, leaving the island, my return years later, and everything that led up to her disappearance.

"Wow that explains a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"Well it wasn't just your death that kept her here in North County. She figured her father hated her after the way he chased her off like he did and that her mother was being beaten by him or something. If she had known Orlando had drugged him she would have tried to go back, especially if she knew he had straightened himself out."

"What else did he use against her?"

Allison thought for a second. "Well I don't know personally. But she'd hint at things. Like she'd mentioned how even though she missed the people from her hometown people in the city weren't nearly as judgmental. Orlando probably told her the drugs she took would be considered taboo on the Island and no one would want anything to do with her if they found out she did drugs."

"I'm worried about her though Allison, when we do find her will this stuff have destroyed her?"

She looked a little concerned. "I've already talked about it with House. Heroin addiction's a completely different ball park from stuff like cocaine and meth. But we're prepared for it."

That took a burden off my shoulders. "That's good to hear."

Allison looked into my eyes for awhile and smiled. "Jack, how do her parents feel about you?"

I smiled thinking about Gotz. "Her father constantly tells me he wants Karen back so she and I can make him a grandfather. Her mom tells me she's already planning the wedding online."

"And your parents?"

"My father would love me to get married, it wouldn't hurt that it was to the daughter of a legendary wine producing family, my mother…" My eyes shot wide as I thought of the idea of marrying Karen and my mom. "There was this special song my family would pass down. The mother would give the song to the girl she wished her oldest son to marry. It was sort of like a promise to engagement sort of thing when the girl sang it to the guy."

"Did your mom give Karen the song?"

"Yea, we were really little in 4th grade. Karen had no idea about the significance behind the song but she sang it in front of me as part of her try out for our Christmas pageant."

Allison's eyes got starry. "What a romantic story and here we are again at Christmas."

"Yea, what are the odds?"

We finished up our last drink not wanting to get too buzzed to do our shopping. Paying our tabs off we went off into the mall that was already bustling with activity.

"Don't buy too much stuff Jack; I want to try out that ice skating rink before we leave."

"Sure."

"And I think I know the perfect gift for you to buy Karen."

"Huh?"

* * *

**Karen's POV**

The mall was filled with people. The heroin was still buzzing through my veins but I was used to the euphoria feeling and was able to keep myself under control. The singing of the carolers filled my ears and the smells of hot cider and ginger bread men filled my nose. The decorations were amazing scattered all over the mall, and since it had been about a month since I had been anywhere close to a place this nice I felt like heaven.

I figured if I had two huge guys that just had to walk around with me everywhere I may as well put them to good use. People kept their distance from me because of them, and made me stick out like a sore thumb. Still though they made a good pack-mule.

_"Pack-mule"_I sighed as one of my favorite nick names for Jack started to turn my mind down memory lane.

Motioning the guards into one of the many stores I'd be stopping at tonight I started the shopping spree. It was almost fun using Orlando's credit card it was like a passive way I could stab him. Buying expensive things I'd never need and making him pay for them. It wasn't like he'd miss the money though.

Some of the objects in the stores made me think of home. A few tears came to my eyes when I went into the Wine Vault store. They had a painting of the Vineyard back home since everyone was in a craze over the Heaven's Gate wine that had just been released. I would have stayed there longer, but one of the guards saw a large poster of me near the cashier and got suspicious.

Looking at the event guide I spotted a section on the map that struck my interest. The mall had roped off a part for ice skating and a large church choir was supposed to be singing there soon.

"We're going here alright?" I held the map up to one of the muscle bound moronic guards and he nodded his approval.

As we walked towards the roped off parking garage I spotted a nativity scene in one of the store windows. More memories filled my head of the Christmas Pageant back home so many years ago. The heroin had worn off and I was feeling a little down.

I started to hum the song from so long ago. The song Jack's mother had given and entrusted to me. It made me feel happy that she had seen a special connection between me and Jack so long ago. I wished I could go back and change so many things so my life would be different. It didn't seem fair the position I was in. True I had gotten off track, but Jack had come along and fixed that. I had blindly trust Orlando and Kai and gotten myself into this mess, and then when I had an out I thought I could outsmart my own captor and ended up falling even further than I had before.

The cold air bit at my skin for a second, but I quickly got used to the temperature. The choir was singing and the songs filled the air everywhere. Being on top of the parking deck their song echoed throughout the area.

Still humming the song Jack's mother had given me I had an idea. "Guys keep my stuff I'm going to go sing with the choir."

One of the muscle bound idiots looked at the other and they both agreed there was no harm in my decision. I ran off and pulled on the minister's robe when they were on break.

"Father I've got a special request."

"Name it young lady."

"I want the choir to hum a tune while I sing a really special song."

"Now miss that's a little out of the question."

"I know you all invested a lot of time in your program and I'd like to make a contribution if you're willing to grant my request." I pulled out all the cash I had in my purse. It was a lot, but the minister pushed the money back into my hands.

"Young lady if it's that important to you it must be God's work. We'll help you free of charge."

"Everyone gather round!" The minster waved the choir over to me and I started to teach them the tune.

* * *

**Jack's POV**

"You're pretty good at skating." Allison laughed as I hit the ice for what must have been the twentieth time that evening.

"And your sarcasm is right on cue." I rubbed my sore behind and stood back up.

She laughed. "Ah well we're making progress. Don't you lose that present you bought now."

I felt for the object in my pocket. "After what I spent on it no way."

Suddenly the choir music stopped, and I noticed them gather around one another.

"Hey Allison what's going on?"

She looked at the choir. "No idea. " The huddle dispersed and a blonde haired girl walked up onto stage with them. "Well look at her, looks like some pop star sauntered into here and she's singing with them."

"Let's listen." I stumbled across the ice to one of the walls and held on while Allison gracefully skated up behind me and held onto the wall too.

The choir started humming a melody. At first it sounded familiar, but then I felt my spine tingle, my heart raced.

"Wow this sounds good, don't you think so Jack?"

I was speechless, this was the song. But how did they get it?

"In your dreams, magical thoughts…" The girl started singing and I instantly knew it was the song. But the song was written by my great grandmother, how did they have it?

"All things are real unless you dream they're not, in your dream love is the plot, carried on wings of hope."

"Jack?"

I quickly turned around. "Allison that's the song. That's the song I was telling you about."

"Each of our hearts intertwine when we do…"

I noticed the voice sounded familiar too. But there was no way it could be her. "That couldn't be her could it?"

Allison looked curious. "It sounds familiar."

"Instantly we feel it, the time to grow and be it when everything is pinned on a hope."

As I skated closer I noticed the girls eyes weren't a brilliant green like Karen's were, but the back of my mind told me to press on. Hair and eye color were easy to change.

"Let rise the dreams of your hearts, that innocent youth, careless and kind. Free to roam the breeze of love."

As I got closer I was almost 100 sure it was her. With that close of a shot my heart over rode my mind and I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted towards the stage. "Only when two brilliantly shine as one!"

The choir stopped. Everyone on the ice skating rink looked at me. The girl on the stage was motionless. "Jack!"

When I heard her say my name I knew it was her. I knew it was Karen. I jumped the wall and ran for her and she jumped down from the stage.

It felt like heaven finally holding her in my arms again. She buried her face into my chest and I felt hot tears stream down my shirt. "It's alright Karen, I'm here now."

"Hey you!" I looked over the crowd and saw too large men making their way toward me.

"They're coming for me Jack."

"I'll stop them." I turned to face them but she quickly turned me back towards her.

"They'll kill you Jack and I can't lose you twice."

My mind raced and I came up with an idea Mr. Vateli had taught me in the past. "Here take my cell phone and hide it on you. It's got a GPS tracer on it and I'll be able to find you." I grabbed my phone, turned off the ringer and stuffed it in her purse.

Leaning towards her I kissed her like I had never kissed her before. It was the best feeling I had in months. The girl I thought was gone forever was right here with me, again, like it should be.

"Hey you, you little punk, come 'er." One of the guys snatched me away from Karen and lifted me up into the air. "Hands off buddy."

My body flung through the air and hit the ice skating rink wall hard. I was dazed but still conscious. I saw a car quickly pull up and Karen was flung into it. Allison quickly came over to me.

"Jack, are you ok?"

"Yea I'm fine, let's get out of here quick." I looked around and the event had caused a lot of unneeded attention. I saw mall security start toward us and I grabbed Allison's hand running down the stairs of the parking garage towards my car.

"Can you drive?"

"Of course Jack, what's going on?"

"I gave Karen my cell phone. I'm going to call the private eye I've got working for me and have him track it. It'll lead us right to Orlando's hideout."

Quickly climbed into my car and I threw her the keys and she handed over her cell phone. "But how are we supposed to get past that army he must have held up in there."

"Vince has got connections, besides if we kill a drug lord what's the police going to do about it?"

"Nothing?"

"Of course, cut the head off the snake and the rest are sure to follow. Drug cartels are protected from the law, but when the law's not on your side who's going to protect you from other people?"

"Good point."

I quickly dialed Mr. Vateli's office and got him after a few rings. "Hello?"

"Vince, its Jack. I've found her."

"That's great Jack."

"Well sort of found her, her guards took her away, but I was able to throw my phone into her purse before she left. Can you track it?"

"It's the same number you gave me a few weeks ago right?"

"Yea."

"One second let me put it in the computer."

"Got it, they're driving pretty damn fast towards a rough spot in Durham."

"Vince let me know when they stop and where. I've got one more favor."

"What's that?"

"You know just as well as I do this guy's packing some pretty big guns. I need an army waiting there for me."

"I've got a guy that owes me and he's not one that can be bought out like the other guys Orlando's got in his pocket."

"Local swat?"

"Try North County's Counter Terrorism Unit."

I smiled things were looking up.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

As the guards drug me back into the bar I felt scared. Even if Jack knew where I was there was no way I was going to enjoy what was waiting for me. I just kept telling myself to hold out long enough for Jack to come. That this nightmare was about to be over.

"So chica you tried to run away, not smart."

Orlando was sitting behind the bar. A kit in front of him with a syringe filled to the brim, ready to go.

"You see I was planning on taking this step by step. Let you forget any hope you might have. Let you fall for me little by little."

"I'd never fall for a sick bastard like you!"

The two guards held my hands tight and one pushed my head down to the bar blocking my view of Orlando.

"That's too bad chica. But I figured on it."

I felt him put a tie off around my arm tying it tight. "There's other ways to get what I want though. I liked the sample you gave me today, letting me see you completely naked."

"That was just so I could get out of this place, away from you!"

He chuckled. "Whatever the reason doesn't matter chica. It's made me want you all the more, and now I'm willing to do anything to get it." He held the syringe in front of my face. "Even if it means injecting you with so much smack you can't move. All I want now is your body, I could care less about your heart."

I cried watching the syringe come down. I closed my eyes.

A huge bang filled my ears and made them ring. I was able to hear people scattering around the bar."Go, go, go!" A sharp pain filled my entire arm. I felt the guards let go of me and saw them fall to the ground holes in their head.

I looked at my arm and blood ran up the side of it. I saw Orlando behind the bar with a gun in his hand. The still filled syringe in the other.

As our eyes made contact he looked at me and aimed the gun towards me. A gun shot went off and when I opened my eyes Jack was standing over him with a pistol in hand. He looked towards me and noticed I was bleeding.

"Karen, are you ok?"

"I think…." I blacked out

* * *

_End Chapter 16_

_Well I'm sure you all really happy to see a lighter side to this story finally. Or will it get even darker in the next chapter. Will Karen die, become a lifelong addict, or worse? Now that Jack has gotten Karen back, will she only be ripped from his grasp again? All these answers and more in Chapter 17!_

_I'm almost done with Chapter 17 so the wait shouldn't be over a week from now. Thanks goes out to Libra1 ONCE AGAIN for her continued editing help on this story. It wouldn't look half as good as it is without her help._


	18. Chapter 17:Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

**Chapter 17**

_Ashes to ashes, dust to dust_

**Jack's POV**

Everything was moving in fast motion. As soon as I saw her hit the ground I quickly called over the squad leader and he called for a medical evac. My adrenalin was still in overdrive as members from North County's CTU continued to mop up Orlando's cartel.

I saw the medical team rush in with a stretcher and load Karen into it and of course I followed them and sat next to her in the ambulance. Watching her unconscious form gave me a mixed sense of ease and dread. I was at ease knowing she was with me and now that I was with her nothing was going to happen to her. The sense of dread came from not knowing what was going to happen. The medical team had stopped the bleeding from her arm, but no one had any idea why she passed out.

"Hey buddy, where are we taking her?"

"North County General Hospital, she's a patient of Dr. House."

I saw the two EMT's stiffen at the mention of the doctor's name. Smirking that just the mention of a name could cause such a reaction I was confident he was the man for the job. After all Allison had told me about him; if anyone was going to save Karen; it had to be him.

With the siren blaring and the ambulance running down the streets at high speed I just sat there holding Karen's hand. Silently begging her to wake up, but knowing that wasn't a possibility. For someone who had grown up on a simple farming community this whole experience must have blown her world view out of the water. If it wasn't for Orlando her view of people would remain as simple as the island she grew up on. Part of me regretted she had to see this side of the world, the other part relented that although the experience was far from what it should have been, perhaps it showed her something of the world the people of the island wouldn't have gotten to experience otherwise. Either way I was glad that my bullet, my gun, and my trigger finger had been the end of Orlando's life, and hopefully a new beginning for Karen's.

"We're here boss, I'm afraid you've got to go through the doctors from here."

"Thanks."

I disembarked the ambulance and Allison was waiting for me at the entrance to the hospital. Tears were running down her face and I embraced her.

"Did she get shot?"

"No." I pulled her back to look at her face. "I shot Orlando just before he got a shot off at her. She passed out and had some heavy bleeding. I saw a syringe in Orlando's hand but it looked like he hadn't emptied it yet."

"Alright, House and the team are inside and getting ready for her. She's in good hands."

"When can I see her?"

She looked a little worried. "I'm not supposed to, but since you're a close friend I'll let you wait in our conference room. Someone will be up with you as soon as we get her stable."

"Thanks."

A security guard let me to the conference room where I had first met Allison and I took a seat in a plush couch against the glass wall that separated the conference room from House's office. A large bouncy ball caught my eye and I picked it up and started to throw it against the glass wall.

_"Is she going to make it?" _The ball bounced off the wall and returned to my hand. For some reason it made me confident that Karen was going to pull through.

_"She acted like she wanted me at the mall, but did Orlando brain wash her?" _Again the ball returned to my palm and I smiled assuring myself Karen would want nothing more than to return to the happy life I had ready for her.

_"Is she ready to come back?" _This time the ball took a wild bounce and flew to my left. I was surprised when I didn't hear it bounce off something else.

Turing I saw Dr. House had caught the ball. He stared at me holding the ball in one hand and balancing himself with his cane in the other.

"My ball."

"Sorry."

Sitting the ball down on the desk he grabbed one of the steal chairs at the conference table and dragged it towards me. Sitting down he handed me a clipboard with some papers on it. "Your girlfriend is a heroin addict."

"…I know." I didn't want to admit it publically, but I knew Karen had her reasons for turning to drugs, and I personally blamed Orlando for all of it.

"As much as I hate to stick up for people, I have to tell you it most likely it was Orlando Escobar influencing her. There were also signs of forced injection with the scaring."

My eyes shot wide. Part of me regretted killing Orlando with a simple shot to the head instead of making him suffer. If what House said was true I should have made his death slow. My other side however wrestled with that thought screaming out it wouldn't be the right thing to do. "So the cut along her arm?"

"With the information you gave us, and the filled syringe CTU recovered it seemed Orlando was about to give Karen an over dose of heroin just before you got there. The needle pierced her skin, but something must have scared him and he jerked cutting the length of her arm with the needle."

I cringed imagining how painful that must have been.

"The problem is we can't tell what caused her to pass out with the effects of the heroin in her system."

"I don't follow."

Grabbing a few props House went into explanation mode. "You see your body has these things called Endorphins. They're released when your body senses pain to block your receptors. It keeps your brain from getting fried from the pain."

"Ok."

"Now when you use painkillers the medicine acts like a fake stimulant releasing Endorphins combined with its own fake endorphins that cling to your nerve receptors. Now the natural endorphins relieve pain, but the sudden increase in endorphins also causes a high like feeling."

"I follow so far."

Taking a sponge House squeezes it. "Heroin acts like a super painkiller, it's made from opium just like prescription painkillers, but on a much higher level. It injects so many endorphins into your system your nerve receptors basically start getting fried. It takes more and more endorphins for your nerve receptors to block the pain."

"What's this got to do with Karen?"

"The state your girlfriend is in is pretty grim. Her body's gotten so used to the heroin it basically relies on it to block out all pain. Like when you bump your arm, stub your toe, or touch something hot it hurts for a second, but goes away quick right?"

"Yea."

"Well that's because the nerve receptors in your body are responding correctly to the natural endorphins in your system. In Karen's case the nerve receptors aren't responding to just the natural endorphins her body produces because it's used to the extra boost from the heroin. So what would feel like a bump to you feels to her like someone skinning her alive."

I felt a chill go up my spine thinking of the pain that needle must have caused her tearing through her skin. "What do we have to do?"

"There's a good chance the overwhelming pain from the cut caused her to pass out. But the heroin addiction is making us hard to diagnose her. We have to make sure some type of blood born infection from the needles she's used or some other disease isn't wrecking havoc on her."

"How do we do that?"

He pointed towards the papers on the clipboard. "It's not the safest option, but it's our only one given the time we have. I want to put her into a medical coma."

"Wait she's awake!?"

"That depends on what you call awake. She's mumbling incoherent sentences, her eyes aren't focusing on anything, and she's not responding to anything." He saw me try to rise out of my seat and gestured for me to sit back down. "And I can't let you near her in her current state."

"So what do we do?"

"Well before your glimmer of hope interrupted me. I want to put her into a medical coma and pump her full of a drug called Naltrexone. It's called a rapid detox. Naltrexone is used exclusively in patients addicted to opid drugs and has a very high success rate. It takes about twelve hours, and afterwards we can get a clear diagnosis. All I need is your signature on that piece of paper."

Taking a pen from his jacket pocket he placed it on the permission form right on the line I had to sign. I hesitated, knowing there was a chance Karen would never come out of it. "And if I don't?"

"If you don't sign that form we can't do anything. I'll be able to send you back to your happy little island with a bumbling beautiful girl that has about as much smarts as my pinky."

When he put it that way I didn't really have much choice. "But I'm not her father, or husband. Do I really have the right to sign something like this?"

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. From what Dr. Cameron told me you're practically married so I'll count that."

Relenting I signed my name to the form. House took it from me and started to leave, but he paused at the door. "Don't worry you've made the right choice."

He left and I grabbed the ball back off the desk. _"Is this going to go smoothly?" _Throwing the ball it bounced off the wall and then went at an odd angle and hit a book off the conference table. I stood there starting to doubt my decision. _"It's in God's hands now."_

**Karen's POV**

Things were blurry, but they were coming into focus. My mind seemed to grasp onto certain memories of the past six hours, and others seemed to slip away as if they were a dream.

The most vivid was at the mall. I sang the song Jack's mother had given me so long ago and everywhere I looked people we're staring at me. Then I spotted him. He had shouted the last line of the song, it had to be him, no one else would have known.

"Karen!"

My heart jumped when I heard him call my name. Jumping off the stage I ran toward him. "Jack!"

But before I could reach him I heard a gunshot. Then right in front of me I saw him slump over and fall to the ground "No! Jack!"

I shot up and found myself in an all too familiar bedroom. Looking down I felt myself go numb. I was in Orlando's bed, and I was naked.

I nearly shrieked as I felt an arm circle itself around my waist. "Hola chica, seems the drugs wore off."

I pulled the covers over my chest and moved as far away from him as possible. "What's going on?"

"It figures, they told me that shit would make you forget."

"What shit?"

"My guards brought you back from the mall, told me all about your little rendezvous with Jack. You refused to corporate so I drugged you and gave you your punishment."

A chill ran down my spine. I searched my soul to find some strength to put behind my voice, but I couldn't. It came out making me sound weak and scared. "What…punishment?"

"Why I had my way with you of course. I made you moan out my name and beg me for more."

I wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear from this place. To only prove his point I saw the needle and vial on the nightstand next to me he must have used to inject the drugs.

"Now that you're awake chica, I believe it's time for round two."

He jumped on top of me straddling my waist from on top of the covers. My mind was screaming. I felt him move his hand under the blanket and up my thigh. I knew where he was going. When I felt him touch me it was like a switch flipped. Gone was my fear and I was filled with rage. I quickly reached for the syringe and stabbed it into his neck. I pushed the plunger in injecting him with whatever he had in it and then used the needle to stab him several times.

When it was over I felt hot tears running down my face. I still had the needle in my hands and the thought crossed my mind of taking my own life. But looking at Orlando's lifeless body reminded me now the worst thing in my life was now gone. The blood covered my hands and I felt dirty all over. I quickly ran to the shower and grabbed a change of clothes.

I felt a little better afterwards, but questions still flooded my mind. I was now a rape victim and a murderer. That on top of being a heroin addict, Jack would never want me now.

Going into the bedroom I threw the towel over Orlando's face and slipped on an outfit and jacket. I grabbed his pistol and prepared to force my way out if necessary.

I opened the bedroom door expecting to come face to face with a guard, but the weird thing was there wasn't a soul to be found. I quickly found the keys to the car and got as far away from the safe house as possible. I wanted to leave it far behind.

I kept driving out of Durham and towards North County. Part of me wanted to find Jack, but the larger part of me knew that wasn't an option. I'd keep driving, disappear, and start a new life somewhere.

My stomach grumbled and I spotted a small road side diner that was still open. It was already around nine thirty at night according to the car's radio, that struck me as odd, but I figured there was no reason to doubt it.

I walked in and took a seat at the counter. I wasn't sure why, but I felt sort of at home here.

"What'll it be, miss?"

I looked up from my menu at the young waitress. "Give me two eggs scrambled with cheese and a coffee please."

"Coming right up." She grabbed a basket of toast and laid it in front of me.

I grabbed some jam, spread it, and bit into the bread. It tasted wonderful and I felt my spirits lift.

"Excuse me young lady, but could you pass the jam?"

I had my back to the man, but his voice made me freeze. It couldn't be him though.

"Sure." I slowly turned to hand it to him when I saw his face. My jaw dropped. He looked just like Pappy.

"My you look just like my granddaughter."

"Granddaughter?"

He chuckled and sipped on his coffee. "Well not really my granddaughter, but I considered her so. We lived on a small farming island and I knew her parents very well." He sat the cup down and stared into it solemnly. "I'm afraid it's been awhile since I've seen her though, she ran away."

I looked into the reflective surface that divided the kitchen from the counter.

True I still resembled my old self, but Megan Yates was dominating my physical features. My eyes were still blue, my hair entirely blonde, and my skin still had a pale hue to it.

"I don't mean to bore you. I'm just an old man going down memory lane."

I turned my attention back to the old man. Something didn't seem right. "It's not a problem, but what brings you to the city?"

I saw him smile. "There's a rumor that she's here. I rushed over when I heard the news. I forgot how big the city was."

His story made his resemblance seem less and less like a coincidence. How many girls could have the same story as me?

"Here's your food miss."

I looked down at the plate and within minutes had devoured the food. I looked at the bill and reached for my purse. I was shocked to find my wallet missing.

The old man must have noticed. "In a bit of trouble miss…?"

I bit my lip. I wanted to use my real name, but I didn't want to cause a scene incase someone here had seen the news about me.

"I'm Megan, Megan Yates."

The old man smiled. "Well Megan, how about this. I'd love to go for a walk and have someone to talk too. Will you come with me if I pay your bill?"

I was a little hesitant. I had already gotten into enough trouble trusting strangers with Orlando. But something about this old man made it seem safe. "Only if you'll tell me your name."

"Oh I'm so sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Jake Harvest."

My entire body went numb. It wasn't a coincidence, this was Pappy. But…how?

I felt my hand raise and hand him my bill. He thanked me and paid it. He turned back and smiled at me. "You have beautiful green eyes."

I quickly looked into the mirror and to my surprise my eyes were back to their bright green color. I didn't feel the contacts fall out, and I didn't see them anywhere. I didn't really care anyways, they didn't help me see.

"Are you ready Megan?"

"Uh…yea."

We walked out of the diner and towards a large park. The sun was coming out and the place was breath taking. But it quickly hit me this couldn't be real. "How is the sun coming up? I went into the diner around nine thirty at night."

Jake turned to face me before sitting under a tree. "You might want to sit down for this one." He patted a spot of grass next to him. "This is going to be a lot to take in, come and sit with me Karen."

He knew my name? How? "Pappy?"

He smiled and once again patted the spot next to him.

**Jack's POV**

There wasn't anything else I could do to help Karen so I figured I should call home.

I reached into my pocket and dialed the Inn on my cell.

"Hello? Flower Bud Inn can I help you?" I was surprised to hear Cliff answering the phone.

"Hey…"

I didn't get a chance to say more before Cliff cut me off. "Holy crap is that you boss? It's almost been a month since you've called."

"Sorry, I've been really tied up. How are things?"

I heard Cliff sigh. "I wish they were going better boss. Business has really picked up here with the wine sales. Everyone's coming to visit where the stuff was made. But Ann & Elli can't handle all the people that are in and out of here so I've been pitching in."

I was confused. I'd figure increased business would be a good thing for the island. "I don't understand, how's that bad?"

"Well it's just that… I don't want to add to your problems boss."

"Come on Cliff, we're friends. You can tell me what's on your mind."

"It's Ann chief. All these people have got her stressed out. We've been doing nothing but arguing, and last night…"

"What?"

"She decided to call off the engagement. We're still together, but I think all this arguing has got her scared of marriage. She's heard to many horror stories from Karen about her parent's fights."

"Hasn't she seen how they've made up and all?"

"Of course, but…ah I dunno chief. I can barely talk to her right now as it is. But that's enough of that, what's got you calling over here?"

"First off Cliff you've got to promise not to tell anyone about this yet. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up yet."

"Ok…what's up?"

"I've got Karen."

"Woah boss, why no spread the good news?"

"I'm calling from the hospital Cliff. Orlando got her into some bad stuff and she's in a coma. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up yet till we're free and clear."

There was a slight pause. "I gotcha chief. It's still good news though."

I smiled. "Yea it is. I'll call as soon as I hear more, it won't be till tomorrow though so don't be up wait'n."

"I'll try and get to sleep chief, but this is exciting stuff."

"Just pray Cliff. I've never really done it, but I'm going to try it."

There was a long pause. "I'll do it boss. I'll pray till ya call if that's what it takes. She's my cousin after all." Cliff always had a gung-ho attitude. It made him a great worker, and a great friend.

"I'll be doing the same thing Cliff. Talk to you later."

"Later chief."

I hung up the phone. Bowed my head, and folded my hands.

_"God, I know it's been awhile. But if you're still willing to listen, there's a big wish I'd like to make."_

**Karen's POV**

"Pappy?"

"Yes Karen, it's me."

I didn't know what to think. "This can't be real."

I sat down beside him and he pinched my cheek assuring me it was no dream. "If you mean not the world you've been living in, then yes, we're not there."

"Am I dead?"

"No, no. You're in limbo so to speak. You're in a coma, in a hospital undergoing treatment for heroin addiction."

It made me feel horrible pappy knew about my addiction. I felt him put his arm around my shoulder. "I know about it all Karen, and I know it wasn't your fault."

He stroked my hair like he did when I was little and I laid my head on his knee. It had been so long since I had felt safe. "What do I do now Pappy?"

"You have to overcome yourself hunny. All these things here represent you. That stinging cold and the dark night is your addiction. The physical features like your blonde hair are your own insecurities. Everything will change back when you overcome the obstacle associated with it."

"Then I have to go back?"

Pappy leaned over and looked at me surprised. "That doesn't sound like the little girl I used to know at all. You used to be so full of life, so friendly. What happened to that little girl?"

I felt tears come to my face. "That girl is dead."

Pappy smiled at me. "That little girl is right here with me. That little girl won my grandson's heart, and most importantly that little girl never gave up hope."

"But what happens when I do go back Pappy? Won't Orlando come and get me again?"

Pappy held his hand out towards the lake. It shimmered and the scene I thought I had dreamed up of Jack fighting his way into the bar played. I saw him get scared when he saw Orlando level his gun at me. I saw him aim his pistol at Orlando and without hesitating pulling the trigger and ending Orlando's life.

"You see? Orlando is dead."

"So when I woke up here, he never…"

"No sweetie he never so much as touched you. He never got a chance to have his way with you before he died."

I felt relieved to know that. I felt a little safer now. "I still don't know though. So many things have happened since I've left…what would everyone think of me…what's there even left for me to go back to?"

Pappy seemed to get troubled as I watched him. He stroked his chin like he was in deep thought. A little while later he looked at me with caring eyes. "I was sent here to guide you Karen, not interfere, but I think so much deception has gone on you deserve to know the truth to make your decision."

"Decision?"

"Yes Karen, if you decide not to fight off all these fears, addictions, and insecurities you won't make it back to the real world…you'll die."

I wasn't shocked. In fact I expected something like that considering where I was now. "What should I know?"

"Did you see the label on the Heaven's Gate wine bottles? The one with your father's letter?"

I nodded.

"And what do you think of your father?"

I contemplated my answer for a few seconds. In my mind my father was really three different people. The first was the man I grew up with. Caring and always wanting the best for me. The second was the man he became later on in life. Always drunk and moody. The third…that image was born the night I left Flower Bud Isle. That man wanted to kill me.

"Sometimes….sometimes I remember him as the man he used to be. The father who loved me…Now all I can think of is the look he had in his eyes the night I left…he wanted to kill me."

"Didn't the letter make you think he changed?"

That did throw a wrench into my mind. He seemed to have turned himself around, especially if he was taking the time and doing the work to produce a wine like Heaven's Gate. But no matter what he did to change his life…there were still the memories of that night…and I couldn't help but think it could happen again. I felt tears run down my face. "I can't think past that night."

"Do you remember everything that happened that night before he came after you?"

I thought about it. Things did seem odd. Orlando and Kai were both very chatty with my father that day. I was even more surprised that they both went out with him to the bar that evening.

I thought harder. Usually when my father got drunk he didn't get violent or anything. He'd get pretty mouthy and make himself look like a fool, but he'd always have energy, and he'd always make it home. The worst he'd ever do is shout or have a verbal argument…he'd never hit anyone.

"Didn't you sense something off that night about him?"

Pappy did make a point. It was very weird that my father had passed out. It didn't add up.

"Pappy what are you trying to tell me?"

He sighed. "I can only guide you Karen, but I want you to think hard. You know that boat Cliff washed up on shore with. It was pretty beaten up wasn't it? Wouldn't it have taken some work to patch up?"

Things started to make more sense. If Orlando and Kai had plotted to kidnap me they would have had to have a plan. Orlando came for only a few days, not enough time to rebuild a boat. Cliff had also mentioned a dangerous reef around the valley beach it would have taken even more time to find a safe route through it. If that was the case, they needed to come up with a for sure way to get me in that boat with them.

"Drugs now days can make people do all kinds of things Karen. If you know the right drug you can make someone do anything. Don't you think Orlando had enough knowledge of drugs to know what kinds make people do certain things?"

That made it click. "They drugged my father."

Pappy nodded.

"That son of a…" I felt a hand over my mouth.

Pappy looked at me disapprovingly. "I know he wronged you sweetie, but he's gone now. Watch your language."

I smiled. It had been so long since I had been disciplined by Pappy for something so much as cursing…I missed it. "Sorry."

"It's alright hun, just be careful. You're right though, Orlando did poison your father that night. He almost died. He hasn't gotten drunk since that night Karen, and he's done everything he can to straighten things out. Your mother's getting along with him much better now and their happy together, but they want you back."

I smiled. I felt such a huge weight taken off my shoulders. My father didn't hate me, and what had happened that night wasn't his fault.

"Your father used to always brag about you around the village. I remember when you were young he was always anxious thinking you were too pretty for your own good and some young boy was going to come steal you away from him."

I laughed. "I always thought he couldn't wait till I got married."

"He wanted you to be happy. He loves you. I remember him telling me your hair was just like his mothers. Brown with blonde bangs…just like it is now."

I felt my eyes widen. Grabbing my hair I brought it around and noticed it was darker. Pappy pointed towards the pond and I saw my reflection. My hair was back to its original brown color.

_**Jack's POV**_

The cafeteria food wasn't horrible, but it definitely wasn't like a good home cooked meal. I was worried, that was understandable. The one I cared for most was ripped away from me and after a half year battle I got her back, only for something else to rip her away from me.

I took another bite of the cold cafeteria sandwich. I was startled when someone dropped their tray down right in front of me. "Sulking?"

He placed his cane on the back of his chair and took a seat. "It's not going to help her."

"So what's happening with her? Is she going to make it?"

House bit into his sandwich ignoring my question. "You should have gotten the Ruben, everything else in here sucks." He continued to eat.

"I'll keep that in mind. About Karen?"

"Who?"

"Karen, my girlfriend, your patient?"

"Oh yea, sorry I keep getting confused with the fake identity deal and all."

This guy had to be one of the most socially challenged doctors I had ever met. "Is she going to be alright?"

He didn't bother to stop eating to talk to me. "Won't know for another 6 hours or so. Aren't there more important questions you should be asking?"

I had no idea what this guy was talking about, "What could be more important?"

He put down his sandwich and stared at me like he couldn't believe what I was saying. "Think about it. She's been living with the most notorious drug lord in this state. What if she's changed? What if she's hooked on something else? What if she doesn't want you anymore? What if she doesn't want to go back home?"

I was starting to get agitated. "Why are those things more important? If she doesn't live it won't matter."

"If she doesn't live then it's all over for her, not for you. She dies and you'll remember her as the same girl she was back on your island, innocent, beautiful, and the love of your life. She lives, then you have to see how all this has changed her."

"Allison always said you didn't believe people could change."

"I never said they can't change, I said they won't change. If given a choice no one's going to change for the better. But around here people change all the time. They lose their eye sight, legs, arms, even lives. But they don't change because they want to, their just forced to. How do you think your girlfriend is alive? She had to change and adapt to the lifestyle Orlando threw her into. You're an idiot if you think she'll wake up healthy and ready to go home."

His words hit pretty hard. I felt like I should have been royally pissed at him for the way he said things, but I wasn't. Maybe it was because I had been worried about what he was talking about. What if it was true and Karen had changed so much she wouldn't want to come back to her life?"

I looked across the table House had returned to eating his sandwich. I stood with my tray to leave when House spoke up. "I can answer one of the questions running through your head though."

I stopped and looked to him for his answer.

"Cameron gave her a full look over when she went into the comma. The muscles of her vaginal wall had not been stressed and were compressed."

I had no idea what he was getting at. "Meaning?"

"Either Orlando had a dick the size of a pin, or your girlfriend hasn't slept with anyone since she left."

I smiled; relieved Orlando hadn't had his way with Karen. It also meant she had held out for me. Maybe she hadn't changed at all.

Turning away from the table I felt a small box in my pocket tap against the wooden tabletop. I smiled assuringly feeling it was a sign confirming what I hoped was true.

"Thanks."

"Don't get too happy about it we didn't check her ass, and we can't tell if she's had semen in her mouth."

I rolled my eyes and walked out. I t seems the doctor couldn't spread too much cheer.

I was walking back up to the office when I ran into Allison. A man about her height, blonde hair was walking beside her.

"Oh Jack hey!" She walked over towards me with the other doctor closely behind.

"Jack I'd like you to meet my boyfriend Chase, Chase this is the guy I was telling you about." She looked at me and smiled. "He's Karen's man."

He extended his hand. "Dr. Robert Chase, nice to finally meet Karen's boyfriend."

"Jack Harvest, nice to meet you too."

Allison looked at me closely. "With a face like that you must have run into House."

I pointed towards the cafeteria. "Eating a sandwich if you hurry you can still catch him."

Allison shook her head. "We were actually looking for you. If you want you can come and see her now."

Chase pushed the call button for the elevator. "She's still asleep through."

I saw Allison slightly scowl at Chase. We stepped into the elevator. Allison stood between me and Chase. 'They say for people in commas the best thing for them is to have someone nearby."

"She is going to wake up though right? I mean she's in a medical comma so you guys just give her medicine to bring her out of it?"

"I'll let the Intensavist take that one."

I could tell Chase didn't appreciate the question being handed off to him. "We can't be sure about anything. We only put patients into comas under extreme circumstances. The amount of pain involved in this procedure would be unbearable for her so we had to put her in a coma. We're making sure she didn't have a stroke or anything else that could have caused lasting brain damage."

Knowing Karen could be stuck in a coma just gave me one more thing to worry about.

"Don't worry Jack. I'm sure she's trying her best to make it back to you right now."

The elevator opened to the patients ward and after turning a corner Allison slid the door open to Karen's room and escorted me in.

It wasn't till I saw her there, lying down in the bed unconscious, hooked up to machines with tubes going into her, how bad the situation was.

I sat on the bed near her and held her hand. It still felt warm. I turned and looked at Chase and Allison. "Would you both tell me some stories about her? It would help pass the time."

* * *

_End Chapter 17_

_I'm really sorry this has taken so long. I've meant to have this up a long time ago, school and fraternity life have taken a lot of my free time away. I honestly wanted this chapter to be longer, but I decided it was best to cut it short so ya'll would have something to read. Don't worry I didn't cut anything out, what I had planned for the last part of Chapter 17 that didn't make it in will be right at the beginning of Chapter 18. R&R! Once again a huge thanks goes out to Libra1 for checking over this. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting back into my normal updating routine before long so check out the message board for nearly daily updates on the status of this story._


	19. Chapter 18: Fragile

Chapter 18

**Chapter 18  
**_Fragile_

**Karen's POV**

I could feel the wind blowing and the horizon sparked up every now and then signaling the approaching storm wasn't too far off. It was getting pretty cold and I snuggled up close to Pappy to try and stay warm.

"What's the next step Pappy?"

He reached forward and touched the water. It rippled a little and then reformed. I was shocked when I started seeing scenes of myself doing drugs, me drinking till I passed out, arguing with my parents, and pushing people away that I cared for most.

"The next step is to come to terms with yourself. I know most of what happened once Orlando came into the scene wasn't your fault. But the things that occurred before hand like your excessive drinking is a problem you need to address. Your parents also love you very much, and now that your father has mended his relationship with your mother will you be ready to return home and mend your relationship with the both of them?" He reached forward and touched the water again. When it reformed I saw Jack. He was sitting alone in his cabin back on Flowerbud Isle drinking and crying. "My grandson hasn't taken your disappearance very well either. He's had solid friends to keep him from falling too far, but will you be ready to help him and yourself?"

It was a pretty big thing to have to face. I started having second thoughts about everything. Sure people would feel sorry for me, and try to help me since I had been kidnapped. But there were still plenty of things I had to answer for myself, that I had done by myself.

"I don't know where to start."

Pappy smiled and wrapped his arms around me tightly. "That's why I'm here hun. Why don't we go way back and see what life was like before all this happened."

Watching the pond I saw myself as a little girl. I had a huge smile on my face and my mother was busy trying to fix my hair.

"Karen if you don't hold still I won't be able to comb out your hair."

"Sorry mama, I'm really excited."

My mother smiled. She leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Is it because Jack's coming?"

I turned beat red. "Mama!"

My mother laughed. "It's ok sweetie, he's a very nice boy. Now sit still and turn around so we can make your hair look perfect for him."

I smiled watching on. My younger self obediently sat still blushing. The promise to look better for the young boy I had a crush on kept me from bouncing around and let my mother finish her task.

"All better, now how about you help me make the meal?"

My younger self looked down at the floor and didn't move. "I can't cook mama."

"Oh sweetie." My mother picked me up and sat me on her lap on my bed.

I had tears in my eyes and my mother wiped them out. "Why are you crying?"

"Jack won't like me if I can't cook."

"Oh hunny, that's silly."

"But mama, daddy says he fell in love with your cooking."

My mother rolled her eyes. "Your father loves to eat sweetie, but when I first met him you know what?"

I looked up to her for an answer.

"I couldn't really cook either."

"Really mama?"

She nodded. "I found out from his mother one night your dad's favorite thing to eat was spaghetti. So I went over all the time when your father wasn't there and learned how to cook it. Your father loved it and when he found out how much work I spent learning how to make it, it made him really happy."

I didn't say anything and my mother just rocked me back and forth. "You know I was talking to Amanda today."

My face lit up. "Jack's mama?"

My mother nodded. "She mentioned Jack loves to eat macaroni and cheese. Would you like to learn how to make it?"

I quickly nodded. My mother laughed. "We'll we happen to have a few boxes of it down in the kitchen, so let's go get started shall we?"

I leaped off her lap and ran downstairs. My mother had a smile on her face as she quickly followed behind me.

"You see how much simpler life was back then?"

I nodded. "Yea, but things are always easier when you're a kid."

Pappy touched the water. "Not for everyone Karen." The water showed the inside of the cabin. Jack and I were a little older and cuddled up next to Pappy on the couch. I quickly recognized the scene as the night Jack's mother had passed away.

Everyone seemed to be passed out, but Jack slowly started to stir. He slowly removed the blanket from himself and silently got off the couch. He went into his and his mother's room. He looked at her picture on the nightstand and laid on her bed.

"I miss you really bad mama." Tears started to come out of his eyes. "I know you went to heaven, and that I'll see you again someday, but I still really wish you were here."

He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one in the living room had heard him. Getting closer to the picture he started to speak in a lower tone. "I know daddy misses you a lot too. Pappy's doing his best not to show it, but I know he wants to cry too." He looked back over his shoulder and seemed to stare in my direction for a little while.

"Karen misses you too mama. I know you liked her a lot, and that you knew I liked her. She's a really good friend mama, and I don't know what I'd do without her." Tears started to come to his eyes again. "I know dad's upset and wants me to come home, but please mama, don't let me lose Karen. I love dad and want to help him, but Karen means a lot to me, and she's helped me so much. If I do have to leave, please mama, help me find a way back to her. Please always help me find a way back to her."

The memory faded. I was speechless that such a deep speech could come from a 4th grader the night his mother died.

"She kept her promise. She's always watched over you both, and done everything she could to make sure you both found a way back to each other."

I smiled. "I've done some dumb things in my life pappy, but I'll never regret meeting your grandson."

Pappy smiled. "Who knows Karen; maybe you'll turn out to be my granddaughter after all."

I laughed. "Even if I didn't marry Jack I'd always be your granddaughter."

Pappy touched the water and my reflection shone in it. "With that pretty skin and country attire you're wearing I don't think you'll be able to keep him off you."

I looked into the water and could feel tears coming down my face. I stood face to face with the same girl I always knew I was. Brown hair, with blonde bangs, bright green eyes, a workers tan instead of the sickly pale skin Megan Yates had, and of course my signature white shirt, purple vest, jean shorts, and work boots.

I jumped up and down filled with giddiness. Grabbing Pappy into a tight hug I laughed with happiness. "I'm back! I'm back! I'm finally really back!"

"There's just one more thing left to do Karen."

I looked to the storm on the horizon and my signature fearlessness showed through my eyes in the ponds reflection. "This won't be a problem."

**Jack's POV**

Allison and Chase looked at each other. I could tell they were having a mental debate over who was to tell the first story. Chase dragged two chairs over to the bed turning one around and sitting on it so he could lean forward over the back rest and Allison sitting in hers normally.

Allison smiled looking at Karen. "I remember the first time we hung out. I had called her to check up on her arm and she insisted on seeing me outside the hospital. It was a pretty odd request …"

_Flashback (Allison's POV)_

I sat down at a table. The café was pretty nice; the surrounding neighborhood was pretty new and upcoming. Above the café and other stores were some condos I had actually thought about buying when I first moved into town. Silently I wondered if I could take a tour of one after meeting this patient.

"Allison?"

I looked up from my menu and saw Megan. Her skin looked a little paler than the last time I saw her and she looked a little vulnerable.

"Go ahead and take a seat Megan."

I didn't know why but she seemed to cringe a little when I said her name. She took a seat and started to look over the menu. An uncomfortable silence took over the table. After a few minutes and placing our orders we were left with no excuse not to talk.

"How's your arm feeling?"

"It's fine."

I smiled. "We'll I'd like to have examined you in the hospital. Any reason we had to come here?"

She rubbed her arm. "I just moved over here and haven't really had a chance to meet anyone to hang out with. Figured I'd try and make some friends."

Normally this kind of thing would make me want to end the outing right there and then. I'd figure they were mentally unstable or really depressed and trying to reach out to anyone. But there was something different in her.

"You're not gonna run off from me or something are ya?"

I snapped out of my day dream. "Why would I?"

She laughed. "I figured a doctor like you would have seen a slew of mental patients that would try and pull something like this."

"I don't think you're crazy."

She sighed and put her head in her arms. "You don't know the half of it."

I was a little puzzled. "Your boyfriend owns one of the hottest night clubs in town. And you haven't met anyone?"

She lifted her face up to see me and looked like I was stupid. "I don't want to brag or anything but if a decent looking girl like me walks into that club what kind of people do you think I'm going to meet?"

"You've got a point."

"See I'm not crazy." She smiled and I saw a spark in her eye. It was like she was a whole different person.

_End Flashback (Return to Jack's POV)_

"From that day on we were great friends. I agreed to go with her to the club that weekend to have some girl fun and keep the guys off of us. I could tell she didn't really enjoy spending a lot of time around Orlando and she went out of her way to hang out. It was nice because I didn't really have a close girlfriend outside of work so it worked out perfectly." She looked at Karen in her coma state. "There's no way I'm losing a friend like her."

Chase looked at his watch. "It's time to stop the treatment."

Allison nodded and stood. She walked over to some medical equipment and typed some stuff in. I had no idea what was going on and Chase seemed to know that too.

"We're taking her off the drugs we're using to treat her for the heroin addiction and the medication keeping her in the coma."

"So what now?"

"We wait…she should be out of the coma in a half hour or so."

"She should?"

Allison quickly re-took her seat. "You know Karen's the one who got me and Chase together."

It was a pretty obvious change of subject, but I went with it. "That sounds interesting."

Chase looked a little uncomfortable. Allison looked at him slyly. "You want to tell the story Chase, or me?"

"I think you've done a great job so far, why stop?"

Allison giggled, "Fine, but I'm not sparing you any expense."

Chase looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sure Jack will understand."

I was confused. "Understand what?"

Allison pointed towards Chase. "Dr. Chase here had a little bit of a crush on your girlfriend back when we knew her as Megan."

Chase became embarrassed. "It wasn't anything really, promise. Hurry up and get this over with Cameron."

Allison smiled. "I took Karen out one day for dinner and she mentioned it to me. The girl must have loved being a match maker because she seemed determined to get me together with Chase."

_Start Flashback (Allison's POV)_

It was a nice restaurant. A live jazz band was on stage and the entire place was set up like a night club but instead of tons of people sweating it out on the dance floor there were tables scattered around. A bottle of wine sat at our table already half empty before the food arrived, most of that was Megan's doing though. We already had a car and driver ready to take us home so I wasn't holding back either.

"Damn girl you can really put that stuff away." I looked on surprised as Megan tipped back her glass and finished what had to be at least her third cup of wine. I was almost done with my 1st, and I hadn't been nursing it either.

"Just runs in the family I guess." She shrugged at looked towards the band. "You know I found out today someone's got a little crush on me."

I laughed. "Sweetie if it took you this long to find out Orlando likes you maybe I need to give your brain an MRI."

She poured some wine in her glass and refilled mine a hint of mischievousness in her eyes. "Oh, not him hun. This is someone I'm pretty sure you know."

"Huh?"

"Think work."

This one really came out of left field; I had no idea who at work could have a crush on Megan. "Is it one of the assistants or something?"

She shook her head. "Think one of your fellow doctors. You work with him every day."

I knew it couldn't be Foreman. He already had a steady girlfriend and he was pretty loyal. That only left. "Chase?"

She smiled. "Bingo."

I was a little put out. I have never told anyone, but I had a small thing for Chase. "Well congratulations."

Megan looked confused. "Congratulations? Not for me hun, for you."

"I don't get it."

She smiled sipping on her wine. "I can tell you've got a bit of a crush on that young hunky doctor. I think he's nice, but he's definitely not my type."

I hated to admit it but I felt pretty relieved. When Megan was sure of something there was no used trying to deny it, even if it wasn't true, Megan was way too stubborn to back down. "So what's this got to do with me?"

"Glad to see you're not denying it. It's pretty simple actually. We go on a double date. You talk Chase into going with me along with you on a dinner date. I'll be so boring that he'll start talking to you and give you a chance to hit it off. You just need a date you can ditch."

It seemed like a good plan. The only problem is who I was going to ask to go with me that I could just ditch like that. Then it hit me. "I've got the perfect guy in mind."

"Really who?"

I smiled at her and tipped my glass back. "You know him, works with me almost every day."

_A few nights later at a different restaurant_

"How did you talk me into doing this again?"

I straightened up his tie and tried to make him look a little nicer. I swear if he poked my foot with that stick again I'd kill him.

"I threatened to quit again."

He scratched his chin. "You know one of these days I'm just going to just let you quit, and you'll be gone for good."

I stared him in the eyes smiling. "Now what would you do without me?"

"I wouldn't be here for starters."

I looked over at the table. Megan and Chase we're already seated and talking. Megan looked like she was trying to act uninterested and Chase seemed to be trying his hardest do draw her attention.

"Aren't we going to go sit down Cameron?"

"Well House, lead me over."

After both Megan and Chase got over the shock of seeing House as my date we had a nice dinner. I instantly started chatting up with Chase and we would laugh while Megan and House traded back insults.

"I didn't think drug lord's sluts we're allowed to eat by themselves in public."

Megan seemed unparsed as she finished eating her food before responding. "Did your last girlfriend cause that limp? By now I would have kicked your balls all the way up into your throat."

"Actually I just recently sent my ex packing when she begged me to let her stay with me." House was glowing with pride; he had just sent his ex, Stacy, packing a few weeks back.

"Well look at you that must be your biggest life accomplishment as much as you're beaming."

Chase leaned over and whispered in my ear. "I didn't think anyone could match House till now."

I whispered back. "I'm seeing it, and I'm still not believing it."

When I pulled back from his ear our eyes locked on for a few seconds. Before I knew what was happening I was kissing Chase right in the middle of the restaurant. It wasn't a few seconds later when I heard Megan clapping did I pull away.

"It's about time."

"Huh?" Chase was a little surprised.

"Don't worry about it, how about we just bounce outta here and hit a club?"

Megan gave me a thumb up, House stood to leave. "I'll take that as my cue to leave."

"Oh Dr. you were such a good fake date." Megan kissed him on the cheek.

"I'd rather not give your boyfriend a reason to kill me."

She smiled at him seductively. "Oh he's not my boyfriend."

House smiled as she walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. I saw House visibly pale and leave the restaurant.

Megan walked back over and joined us at the table. "What did you tell him to make him run off like that?"

Megan smiled. "I just told him Orlando has a big crush on me and he'd probably kill him just for going out to dinner with me."

_End Flashback (Return to Jack's POV)_

Allison smiled and grabbed Chase's hand. "And thanks to Karen, we've been together for about two months now."

I smiled. It was nice to see something good came out of this ordeal "So that Dr. House actually agreed to be a fake date for you?"

"I've got a few tricks to bend him to my will."

Chase smiled. "Don't use them all up; never know the next time we'll need to save one of our jobs."

I looked over at Karen sleep. "I wish I had some trick to save her." I gently brushed a lock of her hair out of her closed eyes and behind her ear. I felt someone put a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see Allison smiling at me.

"She's going to be fine."

**Karen's POV**

I walked away from Pappy and ran into the lake. I felt the cold water come up to my chest as I waded into the water faster and faster. I saw a bunch of dark images on the horizon, one of them took the shape of Orlando. He looked directly at me smirking.

"Hola chica."

I only hesitated for a second before continuing my change, but he seemed to feed off of it. "What's wrong? Scared of me?"

"You just take your self-inflated ego and shove it up your ass!" I saw him look a little surprised and I continued to swim towards his form, anger and confidence brewing in my eyes. "Do you even think I would have stayed with you for a second if you hadn't been holding a gun to my head?"

He smiled. "I wielded absolute power over your life you were my…"

I cut him off. "Shove it you piece of shit all you wielded was a damn gun, you had no power! You just feed off everyone else. You destroyed people through their own addiction, you bought your friends and the ones you couldn't buy you tricked or killed! Hell, towards the end I would have just let you shot me if it meant I didn't have to see your cocky ass again."

He grew angry. "I'll take you back! I'll force you to be my sex slave! I'll make you beg me to stop!"

"Go ahead and try you bastard. Go ahead!"

I saw him raise a gun at me. I didn't stop the water was too deep to walk now so I swam. "I will shoot you if you don't stop!"

"Aim good then!"

He pulled the trigger and I heard a loud shot, but I kept swimming towards him. He looked shocked when it didn't affect me. "How?"

I smiled and laughed. Somehow I was now walking on the water. "You idiot, you're dead! You were killed when my real boyfriend came for me!"

"Silence Megan!"

"Stuff it! My name is Karen! I'm from Flowerbud Isle!"

Orlando's figure started to crumble and I heard him scream, it only drove me on. "I love my family, and my life! I have many close friends including the ones I made in North County. I never felt anything for you but hate and disgust."

He fell to his knees gasping for breath.

"And most of all, I love the only man in my life, and the only one who will ever be for me. I love Jack Harvest, now and forever!"

He screamed and a bright light surrounded him as he evaporated. The clouds parted and sun shone through. I looked back to the shore and Pappy was smiling. I ran back to him and jumped into his arms.

"I wished you'd watch your tongue, but I'm very proud of you."

"Heh, sorry Pappy."

He ran his hand through my hair. "Its fine, you just promise me you'll be a good granddaughter and make Jack happy."

"Every day of my life."

He smiled, well then I guess it's time to send you home.

I felt tears come to my eyes. "I'm going to miss you Pappy."

"I'll always be in your heart hun, I love you."

"I love you too Pappy."

I hugged him close. I felt the fabric of his old cloth shirt and the smell of the cologne he used to wear. Then I felt heavy, tired. The smell of pappy's cologne went away and the feeling of his shirt turned into a more rough fabric. I felt like I was lying down.

I tried to shoot my eyes open, but they felt really heavy. I was overcome with tiredness. Then all of a sudden I felt a prick in my arm like a needle being inserted. I few seconds later I was filled with energy. I shot up from my lying position and opened my eyes. Everything was blurry.

"Oh my god she woke up quick."

"All…Allison?"

I felt someone hug me. "Easy, I feel like I got hit by a truck."

"The medication will be wearing off soon; we gave you an amphetamine to boost your energy.**"**

"Chase?"

Looking down my eyes refocused and I saw it was Allison hugging me. "Allison I'm alive, but if you keep squeezing me I won't be for long."

"Sorry." She backed away and I saw tears coming down from her eyes. "Didn't know if you were coming back or not."

I laughed and pounded my chest. "The great Karen Miller can't be brought down by anyone."

I heard a cough off to my side and slowly turned towards the noise. Tears came to my face when I saw Jack smiling at me.

"Hey."

I felt like a little school girl. Words wouldn't come to my mouth and my heart started pounding. It didn't help I was connected to a heart monitor as it started to bleep even faster.

"Whoa! looks like I gave her too much of the amphetamine."

Allison laughed. "I just think that's a reaction to seeing her man. Let's give them some time alone."

I was embarrassed, but thankful they left the room. Jack walked over to my bed and sat beside me. Goosebumps rose on my skin when I felt him wrap his arms around me.

"You ok?"

I nodded.

"You going to talk?"

I smiled. "Sorry, everything just changed so fast."

"Orlando is…"

"I know he's dead."

"And I know about…"

"My heroine addiction? Figured that much too, I'm in a hospital so I must have been treated for it."

Jack smiled. "Well it looks like you know just about everything."

I felt a sly smile creep onto my face. "There is one thing I'm starting to forget."

"What's that?"

"What this feels like." I drew him close and kissed him and pulled him down on top of me on the bed.

"Karen…you're…still…"

"Hush, I'm fit as a horse."

We kept going until an untimely cough made Jack jump off me.

"I'm afraid that bed isn't designed for two."

Jack had a bright red blush over his entire face. I just laughed. "Well here comes Mr. Kill joy."

"I can see you're back to your normal self. Any desire to shoot up?"

"Nope."

"Seeing double?"

"Nope."

"Any abnormal feelings?"

"Just want to spend some time with my man over there."

Jack looked like he just wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear.

"Yea…anyways I'll just sign your release form and get you on your marry way. Won't sue me for letting you go without monitoring you for 24 hours will you?"

"I'd pay you at this point to let me go right now."

"Well I won't stop you, but I'll go ahead and send a nurse up to grab you."

"That won't be necessary." Chase and Allison walked back into the room. "We'll give them a ride to where every they're going."

"Aren't you going to ask your boss for a break first?"

Allison smiled. "Are you really going to stop me?"

"Just make it snappy." House limped out of the room

"Chase go ahead and grab your car, how you feeling Karen?"

"Fine, just really, really hungry."

Allison laughed, "Figures, coma girl wakes up and wants a meal. How about we hit up that little café at North Hills?"

"Sounds great, you ready Jack?"

"You don't waste much time getting back to normal do you?"

I kissed him on the cheek. "There's a lot of work left to be done on that, but let's just enjoy what we can get now huh?"

Allison rolled a wheel chair up to Karen's bed. "Your first date with your real man in how long?"

I smiled. "It's been a little over half a year now, remember farmer boy you're paying."

"Wouldn't change it for the world."

I smiled. Things we're finally getting back to where they should be. Maybe now I couldn't finally be truly happy.

* * *

_End Chapter 18_

_Yes I'm sorry this took so long to get up and running. School, exams, life, and other things have been getting in the way. I'm sure I'll get a lot of more free time come this summer to work things out and get more writing done so don't worry I haven't a banded this story. Special thanks goes out as always to Libra1 for all her continued BETA work on this story. I'll be sending out individual thanks for anyone who reviews on this chapter so BE SURE TO LEAVE A REVIEW! Till next time!_


	20. Chapter 19: Status Quo

Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

_Status Quo_

**Karen's POV**

"For such a fancy place I didn't think I'd find the best cheese burger in town here." Jack happily munched into his mentioned sandwich as I sat next to him smiling.

I took my drink and sipped on it before trying out my burger, Allison and Chase both watching my every move. "For the last time you two I'm fine. With you guys stare'n at me like that I feel like I'm going to pass out any second."

"Sorry Karen, we're just worried. We've never released someone from the hospital this fast before."

I beat on my chest to drive my point home. "I'm as fit as a horse."

Jack's head popped up. "Horse? Damit I almost forgot."

"What's the matter?"

He took a cell phone out of his pocket. "I told Cliff back home I had found you but made him promise not to tell anyone till you came out of the coma."

I quickly placed my hand on his phone blocking him from making the call. "Let's leave that be for now."

He looked a little confused. "Karen, your family and friends are waiting on you to come back."

I smiled. "I just want it to be a little bit of a surprise."

Allison piped in. "You'll be fine to leave tomorrow, but if it's alright we'd like to keep her around for at least tonight."

"Medical observation?" Jack looked like he wanted an explanation for keeping him in North County any longer than necessary.

Allison just smiled. "That and I'd like to spend one last night on the town with my best friend before she leaves." She looked at Chase and then at me. "While we're at it why not make it a double date?"

I smiled and latched onto Jack's arm. "I've wanted to do this since I got here. I finally get to go on a date with my best friend and my best man."

Chase frowned. "And what about me?"

"You can come too Chase." Everyone broke into laughter at my little joke. I winked at the blonde doctor to let him know I was only kidding.

Jack just shrugged. "Where should we go?"

I smiled. "Well since the other day I'm the new owner of Club Extasis so why not go there?"

Allison looked shocked. "What? How!?"

"As one of those attempts to gain my affection Orlando co-signed me as an owner to the club. So now that he's kicked the bucket I'm the owner."

Jack brushed my shoulder and looked at me, a little worried. "You sure you're ready to face that this soon?"

I kissed him and smiled. "With you by my side I won't have any trouble at all."

Allison stood up and grabbed my arm and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "They still have that lavish private VIP suite at that club right?"

"Of course, want me to grab it for us tonight?" I already knew the answer before I asked her.

"Hell ya you better book it! I'll call up some people from work and friends and we'll throw a going away party."

I laughed. "Alright sounds like a plan."

Before she let me go there was more she had to whisper. "And let that handsome man call and at least let your family know you're alright will ya? He was worried sick about you this whole time and I bet that Cliff guy he told at least let it slip to a few people."

I sighed defeated. Maybe it was just an old part of me that wanted to have some kind of grand entrance when I got back home, but Allison was right. My cousin never had been able to keep a secret for long, and I was sure Ann knew about it a few minutes after Jack told Cliff, and if Ann knew it was only a matter of time before my parents and the rest of the island found out as well. "Alright, alright you've got a point. Jack, hun, would you go let everyone know I'm alright while Allison and I go plan this party?"

Jack smiled seeing an invisible load taken off his shoulders. "Sure no problem."

I saw Chase sit their confused and I quickly grabbed onto his jacket. "What you think you're doing Dr. Aussie accent. If I faint I'm gonna need you too."

**Jack's POV**

_"No my boy don't worry about it at all we understand why you didn't want us to know right away. If she had slipped on it wouldn't have been something I'd like to hear over the phone."_

I sighed relieved Gotz didn't take my decision to keep Karen's whereabouts secret till she came too. _"Bad choice trusting that cousin of hers to keep his mouth shut though. Couldn't get the boy to shut up about it when he walked up to me."_

I laughed. Karen had already told me Cliff was no good at keeping a secret. "There was one more thing I wanted to ask you."

_"Well what is it boy?"_

"Well it's actually more like I want your permission to ask your daughter something."

I couldn't tell if the squeal of happiness came from Sasha in the background or from Gotz. I gave the burly man the benefit of the doubt. _"With all the talk I've been making about you making me a grandfather why do you think you need my permission to ask my daughter to marry you?"_

I smiled. "A formality?"

_"Well then of course I'll let you ask my daughter to marry you Jack, Sasha will be thrilled and so will the rest of the island."_

"I hope she shares your feelings."

I heard laughter on the other end. _"Boy that daughter of mine has had it in for you since she met you when you two weren't even up to my knees. You just watch out for her when you ask. Likely she'll end up tackle'n ya to the floor." _

"Thanks for the reassurance."

_"Not a problem Jack, just watch after her. We're all anxious to see her and all but I know she's gone through a lot since she left. Don't make her take this any faster than she's ready for alright?"_

"Thanks Gotz."

_"Just call me dad."_

A few minutes later I walked out of my room and found Karen sitting at the table going through a local party store's catalogue, Allison was by her side helping her pick out things for the party. "I've never had to plan one of these things before. This is hard work." Karen sighed and pushed the flyer away.

"Well we've got most of the stuff ready anyways. Most of the hospital staff is coming, so are a few of our friends from the club and some of our other favorite spots too." Allison smiled and I saw her eyes gesture towards me alerting Karen to my presence.

I had moved up behind Karen's chair to surprise her from behind. Instead she quickly reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck gently lowering my head to her shoulder. "What you think you're doing?"

"Just try'n to sneak up on you."

"Sorry farm boy you can't surprise this city girl so easily."

I felt a quick pang of hurt in my heart. I knew it was a joke on Karen's part, but the way she labeled herself a 'city girl' just sounded like she threw away all her ties to Flowerbud isle. I whispered in her ear. "But still a farm girl at heart?"

She turned and whispered back in my ear. "My hearts wherever you are Jack." Slowly moving back she gave me a quick kiss and pulled the yellow pages phone book towards her from the table. "Now we just need to find a place to grab some dinner."

Allison smiled. "Well with as much work we've been putting our men through why don't we treat them to dinner for our double date?"

Karen locked eyes with her. "You wouldn't be referring to the universal man treat place with excellent wings would you?"

Allison nodded. "We never did buy those outfits, did we?"

Karen pouted. "No…but there's always this time. Call Chase and I'll put in a call to the one near the airport get our names on the list."

I just stood there as the two girls both flipped out their phones and started to call who knows where. When we got in the car I asked Chase about this secret 'Manly Treat' restaurant but he had no idea what was going on either.

The two girls were sitting up front Allison driving. Chase and I sitting in the back started looking for clues along the road to help us figure out where we were going. As we continued to drive down I-440 I noticed a billboard. _"There's no way…but they did say wings."_

I tapped Chase on the shoulder and pointed towards the billboard. He thought for a second but we both waved it off as impossible; when we took the exit that matched the one on the billboard though we got curious. It wasn't till we pulled into the parking lot that both I and an equally surprised doctor had figured it out. The girls had taken us to Hooters.

"Welcome to Hooters, how many tonight?"

The hostess was dressed in a black mini skirt dress. Not the kind of bold and bare clothing Hooters was known for, but that was soon to come.

"Four please, if you don't mind could you sit us at Kimberly's table?" I was having trouble understanding how Karen knew one of the waitresses here, but my mind was on something else at the moment.

No it's not on what you think it is. I was 27, and I had been to places where the women were wearing far less than the Hooter's girls dared to bare. Even as the hostess sat us at a table I barely noticed the waitress walk up to the table. I was still playing with the velvet engagement ring box in my pocket.

"Megan!? Erika told me she was sitting you at my table but I didn't recognize you with the new hair and everything."

Karen just smiled. "Kim, you got a few minutes for a story?"

"Of course!" Kimberly eagerly took a chair from an empty neighboring table and placed it next to ours. Karen quickly gave her the quick version of her tale and the shocked Hooter's girl could barely believe what she had heard.

She pointed a finger in my direction. "So is this the farm hunk?"

Karen reached across the table and grabbed me by my shirt quickly brining me in for a kiss. The waitress smiled. "That's all the proof I need, what can I get ya'll to drink?"

Everyone was a little shocked when Karen ordered a sweet tea instead of something with alcohol in it. She just waved us off saying she'd be drinking enough later tonight. With Karen laying off the booze the rest of our party quickly followed suit and before I knew it we had our drinks and a pile of buffalo wings with almost every kind of sauce I could think of to dip 'em in.

"Enjoying yourself hun?"

I could only nod to answer Karen's question, my mouth stuffed with food. Allison was making a small scene feeding Chase, but I figured Karen and I had shared more than a fair amount of PDA with the doctor couple and didn't say anything about it.

The ring was starting to feel like it was going to burn a hole in my pocket any second, but as much as a fun place Hooter's was I didn't think Karen would want to be proposed to here. I figured there had to be some place in the club I could get her alone at and pop the question.

I saw Karen wave over our waitress and whisper something in the girl's ear. Kimberly nodded excited and when she brought our bill she also handed Allison and Karen a large sized take out bag.

"Food?"

The three girls laughed. "Nope."

Allison paid for her and Chase and Karen did the same for me. Under no circumstances were either Chase or I allowed to look at the bill. I could only guess it had to do with what was in the bag.

**Karen's POV**

Walking into the club was definitely an experience for me. I had called ahead of time and informed all the senior staff of the new change in management, namely me. I was surprised that they all seemed excited about me taking over the place. I had already told another Allison, the head manager of Extasis, that she would be taking the reins after tonight since I intended to return home. She was more than happy when I told her the news and quickly got some pretty high end people involved on getting my going away party set up.

I guess the saying you don't know what you have until you lose it is true. Looking around the private room I had never realized how many friends I really had in the city. For the most part I had linked my time in the city to the hell Orlando was putting me through, but now with Jack here and Orlando gone I got a different, friendly feeling from the place. I smiled as Jack slowly snuck his arms around me. I knew that the city was nice, and I'd come to visit. But Flowerbud Isle was my home, and even though a part of me was dreading it I knew going back would be for the better, especially with Jack there.

"Is there somewhere we can be alone?" Jack's breath tickled my neck. I could feel the sweat on his palms around my waist and his slightly labored breathing told me he was nervous about something…blame having a doctor as a best friend…but it was neat being able to figure stuff like that out.

"There's a private veranda out there." I was about to lead him out to it when he kept a firm grip on me.

"Let's have one dance first ok?"

"Jack, what are you scheming?"

He smiled as I turned to face him our hands finding the correct spots on each other's bodies for a slow dance. "Nothing." He held his hand up giving a signal to the DJ. Quickly the music stopped.

"Nothing huh?"

Then it started…the piano notes I remembered so well from a memory that seemed so far away.

The singer's voice slowly faded into the music. _"Oh thinking about how young it is, it was only you and me, we were young and wild and free."_

I felt tears come to my eyes as I drew Jack closer to me, burying my face in his chest. He held me a little tighter knowing the effect the song was having on me.

As I drew in his scent and continued to listen to the music I felt the crowd of people in the party hall disappear and instead I was back on Mother's Hill, with Jack, dancing around with firefly's lighting up the night air around us.

My heart nearly stopped when Jack leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Now nothing can take you away from me. We've been down that road before, that's over now."

I had thought back then that the lyrics of this song had fit our situation. But it wasn't until now that my mind, heart, and body told every word and note of this song and turned it into a story in my head.

I couldn't see them but I knew the entire crowd was watching us. I didn't care. Right now I was in my own little world with Jack. I had waited so long, and gone through so much for a moment like this.

Slowly the music had faded away and I came out of my trance. Slowly opening my eyes I silently backed away from Jack. When I went to wipe my eyes I was surprised. I expected to be facing a crowd of people, but instead I was out on the veranda overlooking the city. He had moved me out here while the song was playing. I smiled, this man was beyond perfect. I didn't face him but I'm sure he knew I was smiling. I said the only thing I could think of. "I love you, you know that right?"

I was confused when I didn't feel his arms tighten around me, but instead he withdrew. I turned around to question him, but when I saw him on one knee I already knew the answer…that didn't mean my mind was processing everything smoothly right now.

_"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, is he!? He can't be!? But why would he be…!? Holy shit!? I'm so happy! If this isn't a proposal I'm going to throw him off this balcony! Oh I love him so much!"_

Of course none of this made it out of my mouth as I felt the tears come back from the dance two fold. He gently took my hand and pulled a red velvet box out of his pocket.

"Karen?"

"uh huh?" I would have slapped myself for sounding like an idiot but I was still in lala land.

"I've been holding onto this ring for awhile. I bought it before I ran into you at the mall that cold night, and I've kept it with me since that night."

If this hadn't been a proposal I would have jumped on him right here and now. This guy was pulling every romantic string in my heart, and I was thrilled because I knew he was being honest.

"I've already known I was going to do this for a long time. Life was hell without you Karen, but I never gave up hope on you. I knew you were still out there and I was going to be damned if I wasn't going to find the woman who made me feel whole, loved, and happy."

The urge to jump him was hitting its peak. If my man didn't pop the question soon he wasn't going to get the chance.

"Karen Lynn Miller, will you marry me?"

I felt bad afterwards but I couldn't help but pounce on him. As we both fell down onto the concrete floor I turned him so we both landed on our sides instead of our heads.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! A million times over yes!" If the world could be powered by happiness I could run every power grid on the planet right now.

I felt Jack slip the ring onto my finger and I looked in awe at the beautiful object on my hand. It could have been out of a quarter machine at the grocery store and I still would have treasured it like it was part of the crown jewels. But instead it was pretty obvious Jack had saved up for it. The band was a traditional gold with a solitaire diamond, but the thing was pretty big, and the way the rock reflected the light I could tell it came from a high end store.

"I love you."

I smiled at him. "I love you too."

When we walked back in Jack lifted my hand and showed everyone the ring on it. Allison and Chase ran up to both of us congratulating us and the rest of the fifty plus people in the room cheered and clapped as both Jack and I took a shot of vodka to celebrate our engagement. The DJ started up some music and everyone quickly joined in on the party. Finally, things were definitely turned around.

One of the employee's had driven my car with us in it back to our place. Allison and the rest of my friends were not in any condition to drive, that included my fiancé.

"Aww, look Allison my fiancé can't drive hahaha!"

"Karen, are you just looking for reasons to use the word fiancé?"

I pouted looking at her. "I just got engaged."

Allison patted her on the head like a puppy. "Aww and I'm happy for you. But I think Jack's getting embarrassed."

I hadn't really understood. "Huh? Why? He loves me lots!"

"It's not that Karen."

We pulled up next to another car. It was a convertible filled with people. I lowered my window and screamed the same thing I had screamed at every car on the way back when we hit a red light. "I'm Karen and I'm engaged to Jack sitting up front! We just got engaged and I'm going to make made love to him when we get home WHOOO!"

Allison pulled me inside and sighed. "That's what I think might be embarrassing him."

"Oppise…hehe."

Chase proceeded to laugh his ass off again as he had done every time I proclaimed my bed time intentions that evening. I pulled myself up towards the front and whispered in Jack's ear. "I'm sorry baby, just having a little fun. I promise my surprise will make up for it."

"Surprise?"

I giggled a little thinking of what was to come when we got back at the apartment. "How long has it been since we've slept together?"

"A long time."

Even though we we're whispering our conversation didn't go unnoticed by the other cars occupants, but it didn't stop us from sweet talking the whole way home.

Jack's house was really big with plenty of extra space. He had told me his father stayed on one wing of the house and the other is where he lived along with the other guest rooms. It seemed a little sad to me when he told me about it, but right now I was really grateful for the extra distance. We offered Allison and Chase a room down the hall from ours, far enough away from ours that any 'audible' noises would not keep the other couple up, but I knew Allison had the same plan I did.

With both our men in the bed room waiting for their surprise I met Allison in the kitchen. She had snuck our bags in and we quickly went to the bathroom to change.

"Oh my gosh they even threw in the barely there underwear." Allison was picking through the bag of goodies like a kid in a candy store.

"Yea, yea let's get changed quickly. You get to do this all the time; it's been over half a year for me."

Allison laughed. "Oh, poor Karen's got it bad."

I smiled. "Poor Karen's engaged and just wants to love on her fiancé."

Allison groaned. "You really are over using that title."

We quickly got changed and I walked towards Jack's room. I felt a little silly in the outfit knowing I didn't need it to get Jack in bed. We both wanted to do this since it had been so long ago. It was one thing to just have sex, but a completely different and wonderful thing to do with someone you really cared for and loved…that and I hadn't done anything close to sex since I was with Jack and I was sure he had waited too…I hoped.

Turning the door knob I smiled as Jack's mouth dropped to the floor when he saw me walk into the room.

"Like it?"

"Your…your…your wearing a hooters girl outfit."

"Uh huh?" I walked over to the bed seductively. "Thought I'd bring your some take out."

Jack laughed. "That was pretty cheesy."

I tackled him onto the bed. "Oh you have to just go ruin my whole sexy hooter's girl role playing."

He laughed harder. "How about we just do this like we used to." He grabbed me tight and I just molded against his body. Leaning down I kissed him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

**Jack's POV **_The Next day_

When I woke up and felt Karen next to me it instantly put me in a good mood. I can't even remember how long it had been since I woke up next to her. I gently stroked her hair and I saw a smile come over her face as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Morning."

"Morning Ms. Hooters."

She picked up a pillow and playfully brought it down on my face. "You're impossible."

"I just love you."

She snuggled closer to me and lightly kissed me. "I love you too." Pulling the covers back over us she tucked her face into my chin. "So let me sleep a little longer."

"We've got to get down to Morehead City and make it in time to catch the ferry to Flowerbud Isle."

She groaned. "I don't want to ride in a car for three hours, can't we just go tomorrow?"

"Who said we were taking a car?"

She jumped up. "What do you mean no car?"

I smiled. "We're taking my dad's jet. Told him the car ride would be too much on you after getting out of the hospital. It's a Citation ten pretty big jet." I drew her close and whispered in her ear. "It's got a queen sized bed in it too."

Karen jumped out of the bed and ran into the bathroom to get ready, already sold on the idea. I got out of the bed and grabbed some clothes out of my closet.

I heard the shower running so I just peaked my head in. "Hun, I'm going to go get breakfast ready for everyone."

"Alright I'll be a little while longer if Chase is awake don't wait on me."

"Alright."

Moving into the kitchen I found Chase was already up. One of the maids had fixed him some breakfast and when she saw me she quickly went to prepare me something.

"Like the surprise?"

The doctor blushed a little. "Never saw it coming, but it was fun. With that smile on your face looks like you and Karen had a blast too."

Taking a seat next to him I quickly dove into the scrambled eggs the maid put out for me. "We didn't need the uniform long."

Both of us laughed.

"Where's Allison?"

"Taking a shower, Karen?"

"Same."

"Looks like they're straight from the same mold."

"You can say that again."

We sat in silence for a little while longer before Chase spoke up again. "Just looking at your place Jack, I've gotta ask. Why leave all this for a farm in the middle of nowhere?"

I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. "Flowerbud has got some things this city can never offer. It's peaceful, everyone knows everyone else. It's small with no crime." As I started to list off the reasons I loved country life the most important reasons started to come to mind. "Farming is relaxing for me, and it's important to me to keep my grandfather's place going. That and it's Karen's home. I know she always talked about wanting to go to the city but I can tell living in the city has taken its toll on her and she needs to get back."

"Well that's good enough for me. How you getting her back in one day? I wouldn't recommend keeping her in the car all the way down to the beach."

"I already talked to my dad about it. We're taking his business jet down there."

"Wow…that's…really impressive. It's been over 24 hours so I wouldn't be worried about a pressurized cabin having any effect on her, but if something happens call Allison or me as soon as you can."

"Appreciate it."

Just as we finished up our meal the girls walked into the kitchen looking just as good as they did last night. Allison wrapped her arms around Chase and kissed him while Karen came and sat in my lap dragging over a plate and starting to eat. Allison just grabbed a bagel.

"So what's the plan?" Karen looked up at me.

"Well after breakfast we'll get packed and grab a ride out to the airport. The pilot is already prepping the plane."

"I can't believe I'm riding in a private jet. Can Chase and Allison come too?"

The other couple looked a little uncomfortable at the imposing request but I shot a reassuring smile their way. "The plane has to come back to North County anyways; I don't see any harm on them tagging along."

Karen leaned over and gave Allison a high five. Chase rolled his eyes and I just lightly laughed at the two women acting like a couple of little girls.

After we finished breakfast Allison and Chase excused themselves to take care of some stuff back at their place and said they'd meet us back here in a few hours to ride out to the airport.

When I walked into the room I noticed a large pile of clothing and other belongings of Karen's just aimlessly thrown to the side while a smaller pile was neatly stacked beside her as she packed it into a suit case.

"Why are you packing so light?"

She didn't turn around. "There's some things I just don't want to take back home."

I walked behind her and wrapped my arms around her. "Reminds you of the bad times here?"

I felt her nod.

"You know nothing like this is ever going to happen to you again." I gently grabbed her hand and wiggled the engagement ring on her finger. "I promise."

"You promised you'd come back to Flowerbud Isle too…"

"Karen…"

"I just…I don't know Jack. Things like what Orlando did to me should never happen on a small island like where I lived. If stuff like that happened…"

"Karen there's bad people everywhere and horrible things always happen when you least expect it." I drew her in tighter. "But if you learn to love and trust the people around you they'll protect you. I know I couldn't do it by myself, but Ann and Cliff are there, and your mother and father have really changed."

"…my parents."

I turned her around to face me. "Your father loves you very much, and he's torn up over what he did to you. But you have to remember the drugs Orlando gave him made him do that, nothing else. He worked day and night for a way to get you back, your mom did too."

I gently let her go and went to the nightstand on my side of the bed. Opening the drawer I pulled out a small journal. "I grabbed this from Orlando's house." Handing it to her she slowly took it. "I know what happened was a bad experience, and something no one should have to go through. But if we don't learn and grow from our experiences we're always at risk of repeating them."

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "I'm never leaving you again. I'll always be close by you." With a gentle kiss I felt her tension slowly melt away. "And I will always love you."

Karen sighed. "You're right. As much as I want to forget all of this and run from it I know that's not the right thing to do." She turned to face me and I could see a small smile on her face. "Last night at the club I realized that not everything I experienced here was bad. I made a bunch of friends. I got to see the city. We're now both really rich. And my parents were able to bring back the old wine our vineyard was known for." Another kiss, but this time she initiated it. "And I got proposed to in the most romantic way I could think of."

"Looks like you're doing alright."

"Yea, yea I'm fine now. Thanks." She shut her suit case and zipped it shut. "Are you all ready?"

I grabbed my already full suit case and walked with her out of the room. "Been ready, you?"

She smiled. "Of course."

_End Chapter 19_

_No this isn't the end there's still several large plot holes to fill. Jack and Karen's Wedding? Cliff and Ann's fight. Karen's reaction to her parents. The town's reaction to Karen's return. Stay tuned to for this and more! Continued thanks to Libra1 for her continued support and editing of my poor grammar skills. (Disclaimer anything past End Chapter 19 she hasn't looked over so if I make some huge mistake past that its on me)._

**Personal Thanks For Chapter 18 Reviewers:**

**nero von kahn**: I'm sorry it took me so long to update this chapter and I've been praying nothing bad happens to me while I was working on it. I'm trying to get dedicated enough to start updating my message board again, the web links in my profile. You can find status updates there almost daily for all my stories, well you can once I get motivated enough to start doing it again ;) Don't worry next week I go down to the beach and that's my best place for motivation…if only my cousin's hadn't gotten me started on World of Warcraft I'd have so much more free time to write.

**Sn34ky N1nj4:** I'm glad you liked the Ending of CHAPTER 18, what I'm sure you'll like even more is it wasn't the ending haha! I look forward to your continued reviews. As stated above there's many more plot holes to fill in and who knows what could happen past that. I can assure you this won't be like the game with no ending, but there's still more to come.

**Heatalchemist110:** I'm praying a month and some change was a quick enough update for you? Yea I know its taken a LONG time. Like I said above though blame my cousin for getting me started on World of Warcraft. If ya'll ever want to find me on that game and yell at me for not writing I'm on the Dunemaul server Horde side names Sigmandis. That goes for any of ya'll who own the game.

**roxas-kh**: Oh yea Karen's a fighter it would take way more than some Columbian dude named after the tourist capitol of Florida to take her down. There's much more to come so don't worry about this ending so soon. Looking forward to your continued reviews.


	21. Chapter 20: Home is Where the Heart Is

Chapter 20

_Home is Where the Heart Is_

**Karen's POV**

I stood in front of the massively large private jet with a smile from ear to ear. The ground crew was prepping the aircraft for takeoff and one of the maids had come with us to act as a flight attendant.

"Good lord Karen. I bet seeing stuff like this makes you feel financially secure about your relationship." Allison was taking in the aircraft and was just as impressed as I was as we entered the cabin. You didn't have to duck down and the cabin was very spacious.

"He could be dirt poor and I'd still love him. I mean when I first met him I thought he didn't have anything more than that farm." I grabbed onto his arm tight meeting his smile. "But I won't say having this jet is a bad thing."

"Well when we get back to Flowerbud I'm afraid I'm going right back to a poor farmer."

I laughed. "Well now, I'm the heir to a world famous winery, looks like we're stuck being rich no matter where we go."

Chase took a seat with Allison rotating their chairs around to face us. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

I sighed. "Oh Chase you have no idea the stress money puts on you."

"I just think I'll never understand you."

Both Allison and I laughed.

"Are ya'll ready for lunch?" Jack gently squeezed my hand to get my attention.

As if in response to his question my stomach grumbled my hastily eaten breakfast already digested and my body begging for more fuel. "I guess that's a yes?"

I could feel myself blush a little. "Yea, I'm starving. Where do we eat on this plane though?"

Jack reached over my lap and grabbed a small gold plated handle. When he pulled it back a table emerged out of nowhere and stretched across the cabin. "Right here."

"Sir, are you and your guests ready to eat?"

"Yea, I'd rather finish lunch before we take off if that's okay with everyone?"

I noticed Allison was still in awe of the features of the aircraft. Chase just nodded and the maid went off to fetch our meals.

The meal was quickly over, but I had eaten more than enough to fill me up. The maid cleared the table and the ground crew finished the inspection of the plane. Soon we were rolling towards the runway.

"_Attention passengers, we'd like to welcome you to your flight to Smith Field Airport in Beaufort North Carolina. We've just been cleared for takeoff and in a few seconds we'll begin our take off roll. Please enjoy the flight."_

I gently grabbed Jack's hand as the jet turned onto the runway and the trust pushed us back into our seats. I had never been comfortable on a plane before and I was definitely nervous. This wasn't something a person from Flowerbud Isle did everyday and I could easily count the number of trips I've had on an airplane on one hand with a few fingers missing. I instinctively tightened my grip on Jack's hand when I felt the nose of the plane lift into the air and I had to keep myself from shrieking when I saw the airplane quickly leave the ground through the window.

"What's wrong hun?"

"I uh…I've never been good with airplanes."

Jack laughed. "That'd explain the death grip on my hand. I forgot that you'd probably be scared of flying." He gently stroked my hand. "Don't worry this plane is perfectly safe. Enjoy it."

About ten minutes later I heard the plane's engines throttle back and the cabin became quieter. The plane leveled off and I felt my fears start to drift away.

It was a neat feeling. I was used to feeling the road under me feeling the bumps and hearing the tires rolling along. Heck on the island we didn't even need that, we'd just get around on our own two feet.

Just as I started to get comfortable I heard the plane's engines throttle back even more and I felt the fear starting to rise again. A low hum filled the cabin and I instinctively grabbed onto Jack's hand again. "It's ok hun, that's just the flaps going down. The pilot's getting ready to land."

"Already?"

"_Attention passengers we're about twenty miles out of Smith Field and we've started our decent for the airport. We've got clear weather all the way down and it should be a nice enjoyable ride."_

Allison tapped my on the knee to grab my attention and held out a stick of gum. "Take it from a flying pro girl you're gonna want to chew on this."

I took the gum and placed it in my mouth. "Why?"

"This whole cabin is pressurized. When we start dropping altitude your ears are gonna pop, the gum helps it happen gradually instead of all at once. Avoids the headache." Chase quickly popped a piece of gum into his mouth as well and offered one to Jack which he took.

A louder rumble and the cabin shaking quickly put me back on high alert and I latched onto Jack. "Baby it's just the landing gear calm down everything's all right."

"Sorry I'm just new to all this."

Chase laughed. "After what you've been through these past months I don't think God's cruel enough to crash your plane on the way back home."

The Aussie did have a point. While I'd admit I wasn't the most religious person in the world I did believe there was a big guy upstairs that'd I'd have to answer to eventually.

Thankfully the only other surprise that was left was when the plane's engines did something Jack called 'reverse trust'. It scared me half to death because it sounded like they were going to explode. When the plane came to a stop and the ramp lowered I was the first one off the plane. Chase couldn't stop laughing as I danced around once safely on the ground.

"Scare you that much?"

I smiled. "If God wanted us to fly he'd give us wings."

"So the so called city girl shows her true colors." Jack motioned one of the pilots to move our baggage to a nearby car.

"I guess so." I realized this was the point I'd have to say good bye to Chase and Allison and I felt it tugging on my heart. I turned to the couple. "Are you sure you don't want to come and see the island?"

Allison laughed. "I'd love to, but with all the time we've been taking off House is gonna kill us when we get back." She came up to me and give me a tight hug. I could tell she was just as torn about this as I was. "Besides we'll be back for the wedding right?"

"Of course as soon as we set a date you'll get an invite. I'll warn you though marriages happen pretty fast on the island." I smiled at Jack who flashed a slightly nervous smile back at me. "But with all the guests we're going to have to notify on the mainland I'd say it'd be at least a month off or so."

"Month off?" Jack sounded a little surprised.

I shrugged. "Yep, my parents got married five days after the engagement. I mean think about it, they just get the word out one afternoon and then traditionally the next Sunday the couple gets married."

Chase laughed. "Sounds like we're going to have to plan the bachelor party for next week."

"I'll tell the pilot to keep in contact with you on that one. The island has expanded a lot since you've left though Karen, I think you're going to be really surprised."

"Well don't spoil the surprise for me I wanna see it with my own two eyes."

We bid Chase and Allison farewell and went to a waiting SUV that drove us down to the dock. I had a slightly tearful reunion with Zack at the dock. He spared no expense telling me how much everyone at the island was worried about me and how excited everyone was when they got the news from Jack I was coming back.

The island was just coming into view when I noticed the beach looked a little odd. "Jack, what's going on?"

Jack peered towards the coast and smiled. "It looks like you're pretty popular today hun."

"Huh?"

Zack laughed. "The mayor is throwing a huge celebration at the beach today for your return Karen."

"Me? Just how big?"

As we got closer my own question was answered. Banners were thrown up all over the beach. The villagers were all over the beach with towels and umbrellas in the sand. I could see the old midwife and her husband were cooking up something in a huge vat. I could smell the alcohol before the boat even docked.

When Zack blew the small ferry boats horn I saw everyone run towards the dock. I felt my heart pounding in my chest. There were so many more people than I remembered from when I left.

"You okay?" Jack wrapped his arms around me noticing I looked a little uncomfortable.

"There's just so many of them."

"With the expansion of the hidden valley and your family's winery getting so much attention this place has really grown, and it's still expanding."

I felt a little tug in my heart that my small community was starting to grow. But then I smiled, the island was like a second family to me and the larger it was the better.

As we got closer to the dock I saw my father and mother standing at the edge. I started to get nervous again, but as I got closer I noticed not only tears in my mother's eyes, but in my father's as well. The boat didn't even have time to dock before people started cheering and yelling my name.

I was helped off the boat by Jack and Cliff the later grabbing me into a tight embrace. Ann walked up to me sheepishly and Cliff quickly backed away and joined the crowd. _"Weird." _Was the only thought I had about the couple's behavior around one another. I pushed it to the back of my mind as Ann used her tomboyish strength to squeeze the air out of my lungs.

Then I walked up to my mother. Tears filled my eyes as I saw the happiness in her face. I hugged her. "I missed you mama."

"I missed you too hunny. We were so worried about you."

"I wasn't sure if I'd ever make it back."

She patted my back. "Oh hush now you're home and you're never leaving like that again."

She stood next to me as I faced my father. I could tell he was a little uneasy about this reunion. I'm sure he still thought I hated him. I couldn't bear it any more as I saw another tear fall from his eye. I ran to him and jumped onto him hugging him like I used to do when I was a little girl. "I love you so much daddy I missed you."

"Kare-bear I'm so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault daddy I know already."

"Yes, yes it was hunny I should have been more careful."

"What's done is done daddy. Let's just enjoy today okay? "

"If you say so…"

"I'll always be your Kare-bear daddy, no matter what. Now let's go try some of that wine you've been making."

My father laughed. "That's my daughter. I've got a special reserve just for this occasion."

I jumped down from my father's embrace and turned to the villagers gathered around the dock. "I recognize a lot of you today, and I also see a bunch of new faces. To you new people welcome, I'm Karen, I'm sure you've heard about my story already. To everyone I'm sorry I made you worry so much. My time in the city was a huge test for me, but it also helped me face some of my problems and brought about some changes for the better. It wasn't until the man who kidnapped me, Orlando, was dead that I got to look at the city a whole different way. I have made friends there and even some great memories."

I grabbed Jack's arm and dragged him over next to me. "It's this man here who brought me back, and I don't even want to think about what would have happened to me if he hadn't." I looked at my father. "And it all started with my father and Jack's crazy idea to put a 'missing girl' ad on all the wine bottles. I know everyone on this island had some hand on helping me get back here and I thank you all for your effort, I promise it won't go wasted."

My family came up to me and Jack and wrapped their arms around me. "We're just glad to have you home hunny."

"Hell yeah and I'm glad to have my best friend back. Let's hear it for Karen's safe return!" I saw Ann raise her glass among the crowd.

"Here, Here!" Everyone in the crowd raised whatever they had in their hand and cheered.

The rest of the party went smoothly. I kept myself from drinking too much because I wanted to be able to visit with everyone and remember all the new islanders I met. I kept latched onto Jack until nightfall came. The girls and boys ripped us apart wanting to each hear our stories individually. I guess the boys wanted to make sure I didn't make Jack hold back any details, and I'm sure the girls wanted the same thing out of me.

After a few laughs and drinks I noticed Ann started to look a little distant. We were all sitting around a small camp fire at the beach with the other local girls when Ann stood and told everyone she was going to the bathroom.

When Ann had been gone for awhile I started to get a little uncomfortable. "She isn't sick or something is she?" I cringed a little when I noticed how insensitive that sounded. But none of the girls seemed to get offended. I smiled a little at the small reminder I was once again with close friends.

"Actually Karen, now that Ann's gone there's something we need to talk with you about." Elli swirled her drink around staring into it.

Looking around I noticed the joy and laughter fade and everyone's expressions turned serious. "Wow you guys sobered up really quick. Is this about Ann?"

Mary nodded. "It's about Cliff too Karen. Since Ann's your best-friend and Cliff's your cousin we figured you have a right more than any of us to know what's happened since you left."

Elli stood up and threw the rest of her drink into the fire. "It happened about a month after you left Karen, Ann came into the clinic feeling sick and the doctor ran some tests. We came to find out she was pregnant."

I knew Ann had probably done the dirty with Cliff, but I had thought she'd be smart enough to use protection. "Pregnant?"

Elli nodded. "She didn't take the news lightly." Sitting back down Elli leaned against a chair in the sand and looked up at the stars. "I remember her running out of the clinic after Tim told her. I chased after her but when I saw her head towards Jack's I knew it was better off to leave her to talk with Cliff."

I heard the young nurse sigh as she tossed the cup into the fire. "Whatever they talked about wasn't good because the next day she came into the clinic with tears in her eyes and I heard Ann ask for something I never thought I'd hear."

I felt my stomach start churning. I knew what Elli was getting at. "What, about the next day pill?"

The nurse shook her head. "It was too far along by then. Tim told her that he didn't perform abortions and that none of the staff in the hospital would be able to either."

I nodded. The hospital on the island was heavily funded by the church and they were pretty tight on just one thing, abortion.

Elli continued. "After Tim told her he couldn't perform the procedure Ann jumped on the ferry went into the city and a couple of days later she came back. Everyone was worried."

Mary spoke up. "Cliff had come into the Library a few times and asked me about baby books. He'd spend a few hours reading them, and he trusted me enough to let me know about Ann's pregnancy. But when she disappeared he was really torn up. When Ann came back his relief didn't last long when he found out she had gotten the abortion he got really mad and there was a few months they wouldn't even talk to each other, even now things are awkward between them."

I was surprised when Popuri spoke up. "Cliff had really warmed up to the fact of being a Daddy. He talked to me about it when he saw me taking care of some of the kids one day. He actually seemed happy that he was going to have a baby. He asked me all kinds of questions about dealing with children."

Elli sighed. "Ever since Ann got that abortion things have been really bad between the two. They said they've forgiven each other, but even you saw how they are around one another. Really awkward."

**Jack's POV**

Cliff had asked me to talk to him in private once I got the chance. With a bottle of wine in my hand I started heading for mother's hill. Cliff had told me he'd wait there.

I thought it was strange though. I had figured Cliff would want to talk about the argument he and Ann had while I was away, but something deeper seemed to be on his mind. Usually if he wanted to talk about something we'd just move away from the crowd or slide down to a private end of the bar and talk. This time he wanted to be far away from everyone.

"Hey chief, thanks for coming." Cliff patted an empty spot on the log he was sitting on.

"Still got your cup?" I held up the bottle.

"Sure do, top her off will ya?" Cliff held out his solo cup and I filled both his and mine as we started to drink the substance down.

"Man this sure isn't Heaven's Gate." Cliff made a bitter face when his lips touched the liquid.

I laughed. "What can you expect? We sent most of that stuff to the mainland to sell. Nice of Gotz to let us drink his old stock down."

Cliff looked down at his cup. "Yea can't turn away some free wine."

Looking at my old farm hand made me feel a little disturbed. I was used to him always being in a good mood. Him and Ann were like a cheer squad when I had been around. Both of them seemed so happy and they just went around spreading it like a virus. If it hadn't been for them I'm not sure how far I would have fallen over Karen's kidnapping.

"What's on your mind Cliff?"

It wasn't a few seconds later Cliff started pouring out the details of what had happened after I left. Ann getting pregrenant, the shock of the news, Cliff trying to become a dad, and Ann's abortion. After he spilled out everything he chugged down the cup of wine and threw the cup off the cliff.

"I had really gotten used to the idea of being a father you know? I thought that's what she wanted me to do to warm up to the idea of raising a kid and supporting her."

He sighed. "Then just when I was starting to get excited about it she runs off and…" He looked up at the sky, I could tell he was trying to hold back tears. "Then she just ripped it all away from me man. It's like she didn't trust me to be a good father, that she didn't trust me to support her."

I knew this wasn't the time to try and point out anything so I just sat and listened until it got very late. "Cliff, where are you staying?"

"I'm still at your place, Ann's been staying at the Inn ever since she got back from the mainland."

"Let's head back and get some rest. I'll talk to Karen tonight and see if she can't talk to Ann about it."

"Yea, that sounds good chief."

When we got back to the house Karen was waiting for me at the door. When she saw Cliff she went and hugged him and walked him over to his room. I went into our room and waited for her. About a half hour later she walked in and gently shut the door behind her.

"He's really torn up." She flopped down into the bed trying to wipe the exhaustion off her face.

"I know he told me the whole story, did he tell you?"

Karen nodded. "He explained some of the details I was missing. The girls told me most of the story."

"Have you talked to Ann about it yet?"

Karen shook her head and snuggled up next to my shoulder. "She was pretty quiet tonight. She didn't stay with our group very long before she just wandered off somewhere. Elli told me she had gone home and she'd stop by the Inn to make sure she got back alright."

"I wonder what happened. What made her do that?"

Karen sighed. "I'm sure its much more complicated than what we're thinking. I'm gonna try and talk to her about it tomorrow though."

"You okay?"

She gently stroked my cheek and kissed me. "I am now."

* * *

_Yes sorry it's been a long time hasn't it. I'm really sorry this so long to get out because I really don't have any excuses for it. I'm going to try and get the next chapter out before Thanksgiving. I've still got two other stories that I'm writing too and I really need to update those as well. Please leave a review I hope I didn't lose all of you with that long wait. Thanks again to Libra1 for the editing work. Also thanks to all you reviewers if it wasn't for your reviews I'd lose motivation to finish this story. So review! I'll have individual thanks in the next chapter._


	22. Chapter 21: The Road I'm On

Chapter 21

_The Road I'm On

* * *

_

**Jack's POV**

I felt the gentle heat from the sun peaking through the old cabin window, and a few seconds later I saw red from the light falling onto my closed eyes. Gently opening them I stretched looking at the old cabin's ceiling. I smiled when I felt a warm presence next to me. Looking towards the other side of the bed I saw a beautiful brunette with blonde bangs. I watched as the sunlight crept across the bed and eventually settled onto her eyes. She stirred, but instead of waking up she groaned and buried her face in her pillow.

"Baby it's already close to 9 AM."

She buried her face further into the pillow trying to avoid my voice.

I leaned down near her and she felt my breath on her neck. "One more hour." More commanding than pleading.

I nibbled on her jaw bone right under her ear she groaned again but this time it wasn't in annoyance. "Don't start something you can't finish."

We spent the extra hour she wanted to sleep doing something else not caring about the time.

After our morning fun and a long shower we were both in the kitchen. I sat at the table waiting for Karen's breakfast. She had learned to cook a few basic meals from her time in the city and was eager to show off her skills.

I watched her dance around the kitchen happily making breakfast. Then suddenly she stopped. She reached down on the counter for a piece of paper. Taking a moment to read it she placed it back and went about her business again, but with noticeably less enthusiasm.

"Something wrong Karen?"

She removed the omelets from the frying pan onto two separate plates and brought them to the table with some utensils. I had already placed a couple glasses of orange juice out for the both of us.

"The note; Cliff said he left early this morning to take care of some business. Jack he's just so…I don't even know how to put it I've never seen him like this."

I was surprised. I knew he was torn up but Karen was making it sound like the guy was ready to kill himself. "He talked to me a little last night, but we didn't get into a lot of detail. Is there something I should know?"

She stared out the window and sighed. "He thinks a lot of you, you know that Jack?"

"I guess, what's your point though?"

"He didn't want you to know everything that had happened…or that is happening. He's hit a pretty low point in his life."

I knew what she was getting at. "I won't tell him you told me anything, and I promise not to get upset."

She nodded. "When Cliff found out about Ann's abortion there was an argument, but they managed to patch things together. Or at least they had thought."

I nodded and motioned for her to continue.

"Cliff's really started drinking a lot. He got into a pretty bad fight with Ann one night a couple of weeks before we got back."

"Did he hurt her?"

"No, no it wasn't anything physical. But he said some things that were pretty hurtful that even he realizes were horrible to say. Then she said some things to really upset him, and well, now there're where they are now."

"He didn't mention any of this to me last night."

"It gets worse. Ann was really torn up about everything happening to her. She had trouble dealing with the villagers and it affected her work at the inn. She still got along with her father but getting money to pay for stuff she needed to survive was getting hard, and to top it all off Cliff was hardly any help while he was trying to cope with his own problems with depression and alcohol."

She sighed and put her face in her hands. I gently picked up her plate and mine and took it to the sink and started washing them off. "What happened after that?"

"A couple weeks ago Ann came by here. She just threw a box at Cliff's feet with all his stuff in it and said it was over."

I gently placed the dishes on the drying rack and joined Karen on the living room couch where she had moved too. Placing my arm around her neck she nuzzled her face against my shoulder. "So she left him to try and deal with things on her own?"

"That and with Cliff's attitude and drinking he was never around to help her at all. I just…I just don't know how this got so out of hand."

I gently played with her hair. Something I had learned she loved and helped her relax. Truthfully it was just as relaxing and enjoyable for me as well. "You want to help?"

I felt her nod against my chest. "She won't talk to him Jack. They tried patching things up right after it happened but with the things that were said she just gets so angry around him. He can't even get an apology in."

"How is she handling it?"

"She told him she'd meet up with him and try and talk things over a couple of weeks ago."

"How'd that go?"

"It didn't, she never came."

I sighed there was nothing worse than dealing with relationships gone wrong. "So what do you think we should do to help?"

"I'll go talk to Ann. Cliff mentioned in his letter he was going to help my dad and some of the islanders clean up after yesterday's celebration. Why don't you head down to the beach and help out and lend him an ear."

I smiled and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "It's been awhile since I've done any manual labor anyways need some time outside." I stopped for a second. "But before I do that I guess I should give you a tour of the island."

She looked at me blankly for a second and then realized what I was saying. "I almost forgot about the expansion, I'd never find Ann on my own."

I laughed. "It's not that big, but I may as well give you the quick tour."

We left the cabin and walked towards the old town square. From there the wooden walkway took us down into the valley. Karen was amazed at how the island had grown. The inn was in full swing with visitors coming and going as they went to the local shops, the vineyard, and other attractions the island had to offer. I pointed out some of the buildings of interest. There was a new school now with its own teaching staff, the hospital had been expanded to accommodate for the growing tourism population, a traveling scientist had set up a lab on the stream that ran through the valley, and of course lastly I brought her to the inn.

"This is where Ann works, she manages the place. You ready?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine. Good luck with Cliff." She gave me a quick kiss and disappeared into the inn. I turned around and followed the path past the city square and down past the farm till I finally got to the beach. A handful of villagers were down there along with Karen's father and Cliff picking up stuff off the beach.

I picked up a spare trash bag and walked over towards Cliff. He was stationed a little ways off from everyone. As I made his way over to him he noticed me and looked up. "How's it going chief?"

I started to pick up things alongside him and place them into my trash bag. "Not a whole lot just getting used to being back on the island. How you doing?"

He sighed. "I've been better man, but I guess I've been a lot worse too."

After about a good couple hours worth of work the beach was cleared and we all went on our way. I suggested to Cliff we stop in at Duke's bar for some lunch which he quickly agreed to. As we sat down with some hot food in front of us I decided it was time to get the conversation going. "Tell me if I'm wrong Cliff but with the way you're acting I'd say Ann split on you."

He sighed and swirled his water around some. "You hit the nail on the head man. She came by the cabin a few weeks ago, didn't even come inside. She just told me she couldn't do it anymore, threw a box of the stuff I kept at her place at my feet."

"And what made her do that?"

He looked down at his food and took a long gulp from his drink. I could tell he was trying to give himself some extra time to think. "After her abortion I kind of fell into a slump. I was just looking forward to being a father man, and just when I had really warmed up to the idea she took it away from me. I started getting depressed and drinking, and one night I just went over to her place and gave her a good talking too, she said some things too and…well you see how it went."

"And you believe they were just a small part?"

"I don't know man it's just so much to take in you know? We had everything going great I honestly thought we had worked through everything after the abortion, but I guess we both found out we had a lot of pent up feelings about it."

"Like what?"

"Well I finally told her I was actually looking forward to being a father and couldn't understand how she could kill our innocent child just to make her life easier. Then she said that I was a selfish bastard and that she realized I could never understand what she was going through."

"That sounds like a pretty big sign."

"I know it man but it's just so much to go through you know? At first I was just as scared as she was, but I really put a lot of time into thinking how nice it'd be to be a father. Ann's been really stressing lately though not just about the baby, but about the inn too."

"What about?"

"The inn was going through its monthly audit. Ann was really edgy about it she even left the cabin around two Sunday afternoon to go over the paperwork. When the local auditor came to the island and checked over everything they found out the inn still owed $56,000 in revenue taxes. She was devastated because the last big tourism push is this coming Christmas. She's been going through a really tough time with her dad too. If her mom was still around I'm sure she'd be able to calm them both down but he was livid when he heard she got the abortion and cut her off financially. They still talk though, but she's on her own."

"Sounds like she's going through a crisis."

"I know man I just don't understand why she did this to me and cut me off when she needs someone there with her."

I pretended to think for awhile. Truthfully I already knew what I was going to say but I had to get him to talk to me about these 'habits' first. "These habits of yours she didn't like. You want to talk about them?"

I noticed him tense up. I hadn't figured getting this information out of him would be easy. "I'm not going to tell anyone Cliff, and short of you having a hobby of killing people I'm not going to fire you over any vices you've had."

He relented and checked behind himself to make sure Duke was busy. Satisfied he turned back to me. "I've been drinking, a lot lately. Ever since she got the abortion I've been going down to the bar and just drinking myself shitfaced. We went through a really tough time dealing with the fallout from her abortion. She'd come back home after fighting with her dad, a tough day at the inn, or even fights with her friends and take it out on me. I always tried to just let her vent but it really worked on me chief."

"That stuff is really bad for you know? I used to binge drink a lot back in college."

"Now there's something I didn't expect. What caused that?"

"Just stress and tough times working on me. I nearly dropped out of school because of it. But I managed to stop myself and get my life back on track. What about the other habits."

"Well I know she didn't like me going out drinking but I don't think that was it. Of course there was Amanda."

"Amanda?"

"New girl moved down here shortly after you left. She's the lab assistant to the professor. Really nice girl and we're good friends, but Ann never saw it that way."

"What do you mean?"

"One night I tried to get them to meet, Amanda went outta her way to be friendly to her too but Ann was pretty jealous. I should have taken that as a huge warning, but I was stupid about it. Ann would have to work early in the morning so she'd go to bed early and since Amanda worked till late helping out with the professor we'd meet up later at night and go drinking at Duke's."

Everything was starting to fit pretty perfectly into place in my mind. Cliff still had more to get off his chest though.

"Looking back on it now that was really stupid of me. I know Amanda and me aren't like that at all, but it must have drove Ann nuts. I really should have waited and just had lunch with the both of them together or hung out with Amanda some other time when Ann could be around."

"Is there anything you said close to the breakup that might have made her doubt your relationship?"

He thought for a second and then I saw his eyes go misty as he must have hit on a tough memory. "It was about a month ago. Some of the visitors to the island came into the bar while I was pretty trashed. We just struck up a spare of the moment friendship and I invited them back to the cabin. Ann was there, she had taken off work for the next couple of days to spend time with me. When she saw I was about to drink myself to hell with them she got really pissed. She told me if I did it she was going to go back to the inn and sleep there."

He finished off his water and Duke came and refilled it. When he was gone Cliff continued. "I took her threat seriously and didn't do it. When I came back in we worked it out but I told her something I really shouldn't have."

"Like what?"

"Well first off I told her she couldn't control me like that. That when and who I drank with was my choice, not hers."

"And what else?"

He sighed. "I also told her there were some things about her I didn't like. I pointed out in particular that I didn't like how she went behind my back with the abortion."

I thought about his last statement and realized what he had meant to say. "It might have gone a little better if you had just been more direct and said I don't like it when you hide things from me."

"Yeah hindsight being what it is I really should have said that. I'm still wrapping my head around it all though. You got any ideas?"

"For one you need to stop feeling like the victim here. You're going to have to face the real reason she broke up with you was your fault not hers."

"What are you talking about?"

"Try and look at this from her point of view Cliff. The inns in huge financial trouble and she's the one responsible for it. Her dad's cut her off money wise so she has to make the inn profitable just to feed herself. That's a crisis right?"

"Yea obviously I already pointed that out."

"Well think about this if you were dealing with the same thing and Ann was running around drunk all the time and then running off with another guy you were really jealous of wouldn't that just add to your stress?"

Cliff was silent so I pushed on. "She broke up with you Cliff because she was going through a crisis and you were just making it worse. Sure she might not have the time to see you each and every hour but that alone wouldn't have made her break up with you. She couldn't address both the crisis at the inn and she were going through and then worrying about all the stuff you were doing. I think you're a great guy Cliff, and I know you love her more than anything, but maybe you were just feeling so sorry for yourself you didn't realize what you were doing to her."

There was a long silence. Then after several seconds Cliff spoke up."You're right."

He looked around like he was trying to find an answer to something then he scratched the back of his head. "I wonder if it's too late. She told me she was going to come by last week but I still haven't seen her. Every time I've tried talking to her she's always so cold, I wonder if she hates me now."

"I'm sure that's not the case Cliff."

"I've gotta go Chief, I'll see you back at the house tonight."

"I wouldn't go talk to her Cliff."

"Naw wouldn't think of it, I'm going to go straighten out a few things. Don't worry I'll see you and Karen after dinner."

He ran out of the tavern and I quickly finished up my meal and went back to the farm. With winter in town there wasn't much farm work to do. Cliff had taken care of the animals before he left in the morning so I just checked on the livestock and then went back inside to watch some TV.

* * *

**Karen's POV**

I went into the inn. The place was huge compared to the other buildings on the island. The front desk was abandoned and I was about to ring the bell when I noticed the door to the back office was open. Sneaking behind the desk I saw Ann glued to a computer screen typing away and looking over some data she had nearby. She didn't even notice me.

"Working hard?'

She jumped. She gave me an annoyed looked and then took a deep breath. "You scared the life out of me Karen."

"Sorry Ann you didn't notice me come in."

She sighed and set aside the data she was working on. "Sorry things have been pretty tough around here lately."

I looked around. The office had paper all over the place. A white board near the door had numbers written all over it and Ann looked like she had been huddled over the computer for hours. "Ann what's got you working so hard?"

"The inn's in trouble Karen. I'm not sure how, but I got a large bill from the IRS for a ton of money. My dad's cut me off and every dollar I have comes from the inn. If I don't save this business I don't know what I'm going to do Karen."

I tried to think of the best way to start the conversation about her and Cliff but looking around the gloomy office I knew this wasn't the best place to start. "How about a break?"

"I was just finishing up anyways. Where to?"

"I haven't been up to Mother's Hill since I got back how about we head up there?"

"Sounds great."

We just made general chit-chat on the way up to Mother's Hill. I talked about my time in the city and Ann talked about things going on at the island. We got to the hill and took a seat on some of the larger rocks there. The view was beautiful especially with the populated valley below.

"I missed it here."

Ann smiled. "It is a really nice view."

I thought really hard about how to get this conversation moving. Then it hit me I had a pretty romantic memory here myself with Jack the night of the festival. "You know this is where me and Jack started our relationship."

"Really?" I could hear the sadness in her voice, but I pushed on.

"He followed me out here and we talked. Then with all the fireflies around and the moon on us he brought out his iPod and put an ear bud in each our ears and played a really romantic song we danced to it then we kissed."

"Sounds like a dream…" I noticed she rubbed her ring finger. So I decided to bring out the heavy ammo.

"He did it again in the city the other night in fact. Then he gave me this." I showed her the large engagement ring Jack had given me.

"Congratulations…" It pained me to hear her like this but she gave me the perfect opening to get the conversation going.

"Ann what's wrong?"

She started crying spilling her guts out. I heard everything from the night she got back from the abortion, the huge argument her and Cliff had afterwards, then the makeup, things getting right, then her falling into her work, her dad cutting her money off, Cliff getting drunk every night, a girl named Amanda, and then finally the breakup. We sat there for a minute as she composed herself now emotionally spent.

"I couldn't deal with him at all. He'd always go out and get drunk and act like his world was falling apart after the abortion. Then he started hanging out with all these different people and whenever I'd see him he'd be completely drunk off his face. Then that big argument we had was the last straw."

"Did you tell him before all the things that were bothering you that he was doing?"

"No, but I don't want to have to tell him you know? If he can't see it for himself I don't think we're going to work out anyways. Then when I asked him if we could talk I just couldn't do it. I was so angry at him for the stuff he said during our argument I just couldn't see him without getting pissed off."

"Did you see him?"

She looked down. "No, oh I don't know Karen I've been able to get more work done without him and I can already tell I'm getting better. Maybe I don't need him."

I sighed. "Ann your swamped with work don't you think your just trying to work yourself to death to forget about him?"

"Maybe, maybe not how am I supposed to know all I know is its getting better."

"How did you feel when you both tried to talk and you couldn't?"

She thought about it for a second. "Bad, I didn't to think I hated him."

"How did it feel when he tried to get back in contact?"

She smiled. "I don't know. I mean I had so much going on with inn that I think I might have taken a lot of it out on him."

I nodded. "But now you've broken your word to him. It's been nearly two weeks since you said you'd talk with him. How do you think he feels?"

She lost her smile. "I guess bad, but I don't want him to get his hopes I'm I really don't think this is going to work out."

"Now why would you say something like that?"

"We're just two different people. He told me himself he isn't going to stop drinking, even if he did say he would how could I believe him?"

"Don't you think you should at least make good on your word and talk with him? You've got no idea what he's thinking or doing and I'm sure he's feeling the same way. I mean you two talked and were with each other every moment of the day. Now you've barely spoke in over two weeks don't you think it's at least time you tried to work on something?"

"I guess…"

"No Ann you know. You know you want this you're just scared. Anyone would be. But don't turn your relationship into two people that hate each other. Stop playing games with each other and at least sit and talk with each other."

"I'll try…"

I reached over and hugged her. "That's my girl."

Walking into the cabin I was pretty drained myself and it was just before dinner. I saw Jack sitting on the couch watching TV. I sat down next to him and snuggled close. I felt myself relax as he started playing with my hair.

"How'd it go?"

"She agreed to talk with him, but we never set a day or time. How's Cliff?"

"I think he's starting to see why this all happened. He talked to me about the alcohol, and some girl named Amanda?"

"Yea Ann mentioned her."

"I wonder if they'll be able to work this out…"

I smiled. "As much as those two love each other I'm sure a nice long talk is going to help them figure a lot out."

Jack made a great dinner of broiled fish. Since he cooked I was busy cleaning up the dishes when Cliff came in the door. "Guys I've got great news!"

"What's up?" I dried my hands off in a hand towel

"I did a lot of work today and I'm trying to get a few things figured out but I did find out something that can help with me and Ann." Cliff took a seat next to Jack on the couch and I sat in the easy chair across from them.

"So what's the good news then?" I smiled at him praying he actually came up with a good plan. He was going to need one to sway Ann.

"When we were together she brought up the drinking before and I told her I quit, but I started back up. She wouldn't believe me if I told her I was stopping again, in fact I bet if I did tell her she'd instantly remember that fact and angrily shove it in my face. I am and have quit though."

I was puzzled. "So how are you going to earn her trust?"

"I'm not."

"You're not?"

"I don't deserve her trust Karen, she gave it to me once and I betrayed it. I went and talked with Dr. Tim and explained everything to him. Instead I'm going submit myself to wearing an alcohol anklet and have the results delivered to her."

I was amazed. "You're going to go around with that thing around your ankle everywhere? People are going to think you're really strange."

"I love her Karen. I love her and I'm willing to do anything to make this work. She won't believe I'm the man that can stand by her side through this crisis. She can't trust me so instead I'm going to give her proof."

"Cliff I don't think if you go to her with an alcohol anklet she's going to take you back."

He was quiet. "I know, with things the way they are Karen I'm not sure if I even am going to get her back. That's not what I'm going for."

"Then what are you going for?"

"When she broke up with me I could tell she was really hurt. I was just so wrapped up in my own feelings about the kid and being drunk I said a lot of hurtful things to her. I never really thought she might need someone to help her through what she was going through."

A beep resounded through the room and Cliff dug in his pocket. I couldn't help but laugh when he retrieved a cell phone. He looked down at the device checking the text message. "Since when does the island get cell phone service?"

My silent fiancé finally spoke. "They installed a cell phone tower on the island just before I left. I'll be sure to order you a phone tomorrow."

When I turned back to Cliff he had a happy expression on his face. "Guys I got to go she wants to meet on the dock in ten minutes."

He quickly ran into the bed room and grabbed a coat and took out the door. A smile crept up on my lips and Jack instantly picked up on it.

"Oh no you don't Karen you're not going out there and spying on them."

I looked at him as I felt the smile grow larger. "Not me silly, us."

A few minutes later Jack and I were sneaking down to the beach. When we got close I saw Ann standing on the end of the dock Cliff had his attention on her and Jack and I snuck over to the boat house. Close enough to hear Cliff at least. They looked awkward looking at each other; it was easy to tell this was the first time the two had been face to face and alone in a long time.

Ann stood at a distance. Cliff was closer to us. He made a step towards her but she took a step back and motioned with her hand for him to stay where he was.

Cliff took a deep breath. "I deserve that. Can you listen to me for a couple minutes and then I swear the rest of the time you're willing to stay out here with me I'll just listen."

She nodded and Cliff composed himself.

"Ann I know I haven't been the guy you've needed. I know you had everyone on the island berating you about the abortion and when you turned to me to be the person to lift you up and make you feel better I just turned into them and said a bunch of hateful things to you."

He shuffled a bit but continued. "I was hitting a really low point in my life Ann. I shouldn't have fallen into beige drinking. I know there were days when you wanted to talk or needed me to be there for you and I was just so drunk and messed up I was worthless. But you gave me a wakeup call I've lost so much to drinking that I didn't realize and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose having you in my life because of it. I'm not talking about a relationship maybe we'll get there eventually, maybe not. I need you in my life though Ann I want to be there for you to talk through when things are good and when there bad. I want you to be able to talk to me not hate me and avoid me."

He reached inside his jacket and handed her a piece of paper. "I know I told you I was going to quit drinking before and then I betrayed your trust and started back up on it. I don't deserve your trust right now so instead I talked with Tim and the hospital and I've signed myself up for an alcohol monitoring anklet. I promise I'll keep doing it as long as you want me too. I won't see anyone else and if you ever feel jealous or think I'm doing something wrong just let me know Ann and I promise I'll stop it. I'm willing to do anything to make this work, and I want to be here for whatever you want me here for. Just don't shut me out Ann, please let me be there for you…for us."

It took a few seconds but she slowly walked up to him and brought him into an embrace. No matter how romantic the moment was Cliff didn't make a move to kiss her. I smiled my cousin had matured a lot in the past few weeks since the break up. Maybe he had a chance to make something good out of all this after all.

I nudged Jack and whispered in his ear. "Come on let's leave them alone I think he's got this."

We got back into the cabin and warmed up with a fire. About an hour later Cliff walked through the door.

"How'd it go?"

He smiled. "I don't know, I'm just going to wait on her and see."

* * *

_End Chapter 21_

_So yea there isn't any excuse for my delay on this chapter. I went through a really hard time back in November and just recently started writing again. I had this chapter ready to go and edited months ago but a virus wiped out my computer. If you're the person who edited this chapter please get back in touch with me I'm sorry but I lost all my e-mails too so I don't know who you are. To you loyal readers keep coming back I promise this story will continue to be updated._


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